GARDENS OF ESTE AND GONZAGA PRINCES 



among many others which I have received from 

 you." 



Isabella was graciously pleased to accede to this 

 urgent request and allowed her gardener to visit 

 Cricoli, but took care to add that she hoped he 

 would send back the man as soon as possible, since 

 the garden at Porto was in great want of his services. 

 A week later Trissino sent a grateful letter saying 

 that " the gardener's arrival had been most oppor- 

 tune in this rainy weather," and that his advice had 

 proved exceedingly profitable to the box trees of his 

 garden, which were now in perfect order, for all 

 of which he rendered her Excellency immortal 

 thanks. 



" And now," he adds, " I am sending the gardener 

 back in order that Porto may not suffer by his 

 absence." l 



To the last Isabella retained her keen sense of 

 enjoyment and pleasure in planning buildings and 

 gardens. She helped Giulio Romano with her advice 

 in preparing the Palazzina, an elegant suite of rooms 

 which was added to the Castello at the time of her 

 son Federico's wedding, and expressed the highest 

 approval of the terraced garden and loggietta on the 

 top of the roof, saying that she should have thought 

 herself very fortunate if, when she first came to 

 1 B. Morsolin, Giangiorgio Trissino, p. 493. 



61 



