58 



GARDEN CRAFT IN EUROPE 



The Villa Torlonia belonged originally to the Conti and later passed 

 by marriage into the Torlonia family. The garden consists entirely of 

 ilex boschi laid out upon the hillside in rectangular forms divided by mossy 

 alleys. Here and there, at the intersections of the walks, are fountains 

 sending up high jets of water, and these, seen at the termination of long 



vistas, give a very pleasing effect. The two 

 principal features are a fine terrace extending 

 the entire width of the gardens and the great 

 cascade (illus. opposite). Another famous Fras- 

 cati garden is that of the Villa Mondragone 

 (illus., p. 55) built in 1567 for Cardinal Marco 

 d'Attempo. The garden is now much 

 neglected, but the fine theatre d'eau ter- 

 minating the parterre still remains. Other 

 villas at Frascati which have now all prac- 

 tically disappeared were the Villa Falconiere 

 built for Cardinal Ruffini, the Villa Palla- 

 vicini and the Villa Muti. 



Around Siena are several most interest- 

 ing old Tuscan villas. The Villa Gori still 

 has its long dense ilex tunnels radiating 

 from the Casino across the farmlands ; one 

 leads to a circular decoy arranged upon a small 

 Jiill covered with thickets, and another tunnel 

 conducts to the Garden theatre (illus., p. 57), 

 a charming feature often found in Italian 

 gardens. The stage was a grass platform, 

 rows of clipped cypresses forming the wings, 

 and framing the whole. A rather larger 

 example of a garden theatre is just outside 

 Siena at the Villa Sergardi, and in this case it is so arranged that the 

 audience need not trouble themselves to leave the house, as the stage is 

 placed in full view of the first ffoor windows. 



In the South of Italy and in Sicily old formal gardens are not so often 

 to be met with. There are a few in the neighbourhood of Naples, but these 

 date chiefly from the eighteenth century and cannot be compared with the 



A WELL-HEAD AT VICOBELLO, 



SIENA. 



