Old Gardens of Italy 125 



nearly to the level of the first floor of the palace, 

 but is screened from it by a hedge and divided by 

 a stretch of turf where formerly there were par- 

 terres. The ground made it difficult to design a 

 good garden plan, and rendered it impossible for 

 the water scheme to be placed, as is usual, opposite 

 to the centre of the palace. This defect, as it was 

 considered, was therefore hidden by trees. Be- 

 tween the palace and the garden runs a narrow 

 street crossed by stone bridges from the upper part 

 of the house to the grounds. 



VILLA OF THE KNIGHTS OF MALTA, 

 ROME. 



THE church of the order, Santa Maria Aventina, 

 also called Del Priorato, is within the grounds. 

 Visitors ring at No. 40 in the small piazza at the 

 top of the Via di Santa Sabina, decorated with 

 obelisks and coats of arms of the order. The gar- 

 den is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 

 9 a.m. till dusk. The entrance door contains a 

 brass-bound keyhole, through which is the famous 

 view of St. Peter's along a clipped vide. 



It is thought that Piranesi, who restored the 

 chapel in 1765, also laid out the gardens. Though 

 small, they are worth a visit, for they were admir- 

 ably planned with regard to the restricted and 

 uneven ground at the architect's disposal. They 

 include a sunny orange garden with fountain and 

 box hedges, and a couple of terraces, one below the 



