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Italian Gardens 1st part(long!)

Ciao, gardening friends. 

I should perhaps start telling you that Italy has thousand of villas and
gardens: if you think that, as an example, only in the Venice area
currently 200 gardens are normally open to the public, and twice as much are
not,  you will realize that a selection is needed.   Mine will be a very
personal selection. The criteria I used to make my selection are: historical
and architectural interest; atmosphere and magic; real gardening skill;
botanic interest. Not all these combine in the gardens I chose, and I will
try to specify what are the interesting aspects of each. Also, I am dividing
my list into two, maybe three parts, because I have very short time to write
every day!

Before we start with the list, can I suggest you read some introductory
book? People who come from different traditions and historical backgrounds
can sometimes be disappointed when they meet with the typical Italian
garden style. I find that both Edith Warton's "Italian villas and their
gardens", and Georgina Masson's "Gardens of Italy", though written the
former at the beginning of the century and the latter in the '60s, give a
very understanding approach to the subject. The literature on Italian
gardens is enormous, and I am sure you will find in your libraries plenty of
books on the subject; here a very useful book is the gUide to villas and
gardens open to the public, published by FAI, available in English. Best
time to visit is of course May and June, though generally the very strong
evergreen architecture  in almost all Italian gardens makes them pleasant in
all the seasons. Avoid peak summer, it really is too hot. October is always
wonderful in the Florence and Rome areas, and the citruses are at their best
then.

So, let's start with  the list. I considered 4 main areas: The Italian Lake
district and  Venice in the North; Florence and Rome in the centre. If you
are ionterested in other areas, do ask. It will take some time, but I will
try to give an answer!

The lakes area is famous for acid loving plant collections. They have
incredible plantings of azaleas and rhodos, masses really, and also
Magnolias, dogwoods, Liriodendrons etc. Normally they ahve wonderful
specimens of trees palnted last century or before.

Lake Maggiore:
Villa Taranto, near Pallanza. One of the most famous gardens in Italy, made
in 1938 by a Sctotsman. High botanical interest. Wonderful magnolias. 
Isola Bella, an island in the middle of the lake. Reach it by boat from the
villages around the lake. A baroque garden, made in 1670. Surprising,
majestic,  terraced  in the shape of a ship; the palace is also worth
visiting. Belongs to Prince Borromeo.
Isola madre. Same owner (together they are called the Isole Borromeee) the
most romantic of the three, with  pheasants and white peakoks walking  about
the gardens. Magnificent trees: they have the biggest Cupressus cashmeriana
in Europe. The boat trip to these islands includes the pictoresque
fishermen's island (isola dei pescatori). These three gardens are really
worth visiting.

Lake Como
Villa Melzi, at Bellagio. Dates back to Napoleon's age, and the Villa itself
is beautiful. Typical landscape of the time, including a nice japanese
garden (maples, azaleas). Very common bedding out plants (horrible). 
Villa Carlotta (xviii century) is renowned for the azaleas, not always well
arranged, but BIG and in thousends.
Villa Balbianello (xviii century) can be reached only by boat from Sala. It
has a very beautiful harbour, famous pleached planes and wonderful vistas of
the lake.   
Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, at Cardano, tel.0344/32120 can be visited by
appointement. Very worth visiting. Wonderful rock garden, the owner is a
real plantsman.

Lake Garda
Hruska Garden at Gardone Riviera. Quite a folly, made by the personal
dentist of the Czar last century. Alpine plant collection,  and rare plants
in a questionable landscape (faux rocks etc.). Typical of its age.
There are two other gardens that everybody will try to sell you there,
Vittoriale, the house of the decadent poet D'Annunzio, and Villa Borghese.
The first is not a garden, the second is too expensive. Avoid.
Near the Garda area, at 7 km from Verona, the baroque and pictoresque garden
Villa Rizzardi has a wonderful "green theatre" and a hornbean gallery. 
Do NOT go to Parco Sigurtà, for no reason. It is the garden version of a
drive-in zoo park, if possible.Awful.
Do go in Verona,to Giardino Giusti. It is one of the gems of Italian
gardens, dating back to year 1500. Divided into 3 parts, it has formal
parterres, woodland on a hill, terraces with vistas. Summer concerts.

Venice.
In the city there are not gardens open to the public that are worth a visit
(fortunately, as there are so many other things to see, it would be
frustrating!) with the possible exception of Palazzo Querini Stampalia, a
museum and libray with a very small garden recently restored by architect
Scarpa.
The thousends of gardens are found mainly in the Padua and Treviso area. 
Do not miss Villa Barbarigo at Valsansibio, 20 km from Padua. Wonderful
example of Italian garden, with statues, fountains, a Labyrinth. Full of
atmosphere. A tip to the guardian will convince him to switch on the water
jets. Closed on Sunday mornings (unusual, normally in Italy everything is
closed on Monday mornings).
Villa Emo at Monselice, 18 km from Padua. The garden was restored and partly
redesigned in 1960. Formal parterres with modern roses (how sad), fountains,
borders. Open only during weekends.
For lovers of real Palladian Villas, these are the most famous: Villa Maser,
at Maser,  30 km from Treviso; Villa Emo, at Fanzolo, 20 km from Treviso; La
Malcontenta, 20 km from Venezia; La Rotonda, outside Vicenza.  All are very
interesting for the architecture, furniture and frescoes, and their happy
relation with the landscape, but their gardens are of no appeal.


to be continued...

Alessandra
Alessandra Vinciguerra
American Academy in Rome
Via Masina,5
00153 Roma
Tel:0039\6\5846.444
library@librs6k.vatlib.it
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