THE BOBOLI GARDENS, FLORENCE 



round the rustic palace. Lakes, grottoes, 

 fountains, terraces, statues many of them 

 famous works of art hedges of bay and cypress, 

 intricate labyrinths, wide via/i shaded by tall 

 trees, field and forest, all came into place and 

 being. And the large amphitheatre was built, 

 where so many gorgeous spectacles for Court 

 festivities and royal marriages have been given. 

 Succeeding Grand Dukes added to the extent of 

 the gardens, until they now cover the whole hill- 

 side, and occupy a space of 450,000 square metres, 

 which contain every variety of natural and arti- 

 ficial beauty, and command incomparable views 

 of city, plain, and mountain. 



Names of the past still linger, and have a pathos 

 of their own. Giovanna's own little garden is 

 still called " Giardino Madama." Her portrait 

 was begun in Giambologna's " Abundance," but 

 left unfinished when Bianca's fairer face had stolen 

 Francesco's heart. The inscription on a fountain 

 is" 1 8 July 1618 when Serenissima's brother was 

 made King of Hungary " (Maria Maddelena's 

 brother Ferdinand II of Austria). The Casino 

 where Gian Gastone pursued his studies as a lad, 

 with its " Giardino del Cavalliero," are all there, 

 218 



