OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 



145 



blending it with nature. In the balus- 

 trade around the reservoir pool each post 

 is richly carved with a mask on the side 

 facing the pool and each has on the top 

 a circular basin. Originally the water 

 was brought up through the post and 

 formed a small fountain jet which split 

 over into these circular basins. It was 

 then carried down through the post and 

 reappeared from the mouths of the 

 masks, which emptied into the pool. 

 These fountains are no longer in use but 

 the lead pipes are still visible. 



The water which feeds this scheme has 

 been brought through an aqueduct from 

 Monte Algido near Monte Cavo, a dis- 

 tance of about twelve miles. It first ap- 

 pears in a huge fountain in the reservoir 

 and then is carried underground to the 

 top of the cascade where it pours out of 

 a large stone mask (five feet across) in- 

 to a pool below. It overflows from this 

 pool onto an inclined rough tiled plat- 

 form or shelf, which creates a playful 

 surface to the water, into a large oval 

 basin below, where it is again at rest. 

 This basin overflows onto another in- 

 clined plane and so the process is repeat- 

 ed until it reaches the last pool of the 

 waterfall. Here it is taken underground 

 across the terrace and part of it reappears 

 in a fan-like fountain gushing forth from 

 the mouth of a stone eagle which rests 

 upon the top of the retaining well, and 

 falls into the semi-circular pool below. 

 Originally part of the water from the 

 cascade formed fountains in the vases 

 which still remain on top of the cornice 

 of the retaining wall. These fountains 

 are no longer in operation and the vases 

 are instead planted with aloes. The re- 



mainder of the water from the cascade 

 is used to supply the masks and fountain 

 vases in the niches in the arcade (not 

 any of these masks and only a few of the 

 fountain vases are now in working order) 

 and a large fountain which spouts from 

 a mask laid upon a pile of stones in the 

 large semi-circular pool. A small rect- 

 angular hole in the top of the retaining 

 wall, just under the eagle, serves as an 

 emergency outlet for the water in case 

 the fountains are not in running order. 

 From the large pool in front of the ar- 

 cade the water is again carried under- 

 ground to feed the various fountains 

 throughout the villa proper. 



As has been said, the cascade is ap- 

 proached by a central axial path through 

 the dense woodland and the first sight of 

 it is through a vista in the trees. If seen 

 in the morning light the effect is es- 

 pecially pleasing and the contrast of the 

 light and shade due to the distribution 

 of the open areas, and the dark shade of 

 the woodland enhance the picture — the 

 whole effect is grey and green. There is 

 a perfect blending between the softness 

 of the vegetation and that of the moss 

 covered architecture. Even the scale, de- 

 tail and forms of the architecture seem 

 to be re-echoed in the soft grey-green 

 forms of the ilex — one appears to be 

 created for the other. The effect pro- 

 duced by the contrast of sunlight and 

 deep shadows and the coolness of the 

 clear sparkling water, partly covered 

 with bright green water plants and moss, 

 together with the subtle blending of the 

 architectural forms with the green, 

 creates a setting of quiet and restfulness 

 and there is an enchantment undescrib- 

 able. 



