Old Gardens of Italy 65 



open space here was used for pageants. When 

 Francis I. was married a great naval fight was 

 represented in the arena. 



The group of the fountain of Neptune, above 

 the arena, was the work, in 156 5, of Stoldo Lorenzo. 

 The not very pleasing figure of Abundance (sup- 

 posed to be a portrait of the wife of Francesco I.) 

 was begun by Gian Bologna and finished by a pupil. 

 It was put up in 1636 to commemorate the fact that 

 Tuscany prospered under her king while famine 

 reigned elsewhere in Italy. 



THE CORSINI PALACE, FLORENCE. 



THIS is not the Corsini Palace on the Arno 

 containing the famous Picture Gallery. It is Prince 

 Corsini's private residence, 40 Via del Prato, and 

 the garden is not shown. It is rather an interesting 

 example of the treatment of a perfectly flat piece of 

 ground in a town, and most of it retains its old 

 design, as the accompanying illustration shows. 

 There is a charming loggia, with fountain, leading 

 from the house, and the walk, bordered by statues 

 (which, to make the path seem longer, decrease in 

 size as they retreat), is on its axis. 



VILLA CORSINI, CASTELLO, FLORENCE. 



FORMERLY I Rinieri or II Lepre dei Rinieri. At 

 the beginning of the fifteenth century this villa 



