town leads directly up to the gate, upon entering 

 which one finds one's self in the midst of a profusion 

 of flowers, and facing a fountain which makes the 

 central feature of the garden. The fountain consists 

 of a group of bronze figures on a circular base sur- 

 rounded by four large basins, which receive the falling 

 water. Looking beyond the fountain, the eye is led, 

 by means of a series of terraces and fountains between 

 the two houses, to the highest part of the land; this is 

 thickly covered with trees, which form a background 

 for the architectural features. The garden proper cov- 

 ers about an acre of ground, but so large a space 

 is taken up by the fountain and its surrounding em- 

 bellishments that the actual space for planting is much 

 less than one would imagine. A magnificent box^ 

 hedge, very dense and high, protects the garden on 

 the north and west, the south being open and over- 

 looking the extensive campagna. Making a part of 

 the eastern wall is the orangery a building which 

 forms a very necessary part of every garden in Italy 

 wherein the orange-trees and the tender plants grown 

 in pots are stored in winter. The important paths of 

 the " parterre " are marked by small box hedges, ac- 

 cented at the corners by large orange-trees in pots. 

 The main features of the garden are so admirably 



14 



