Old Gardens of Italy 1 9 



VILLA CRESPI, COMO. 



ALSO known as La Gallia. At Borgo Vico, twenty 

 minutes' walk from the landing place of the steamer 

 at Como. An electric tram runs past the entrance. 



Though the villa was built in 1 6 1 5 by the Abbot 

 Marco Gallio (nephew of Tolomeo, Cardinal of 

 Como), the garden was only laid out in the old 

 style within the last few years. It is interesting to 

 the writer as being the only example of the formal 

 style that she has seen in a modern Italian garden. 

 It was commenced by Prof. Lodovico Pogliaghi, of 

 Milan, who, however, did not complete it. It can 

 be well seen from the high road and is quite small. 

 The gardener (who, in the absence of the family, is 

 the caretaker of the house), Signor Eugenio 

 Marilli, is courteous in showing it and its beautiful 

 hot houses. He presented the writer with a finely 

 illustrated brochure containing a history of the 

 villa. It is now the property of Donna Giulia 

 Crespi Morbio, who bought it in 1901, and by 

 whose orders the garden was laid out. The grounds 

 on the villa side of the high road (which cuts them 

 into two parts) are still quite in the landscape style. 



VILLA CASTELLAZZO DEI ARCONATI, 

 NEAR MILAN. 



ABOUT seven miles out on the road to Varese, and 

 within five minutes' walk of the station. 



