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THE GARDENS OF ITALY. 



332. SHELTERED BY ILEX HEDGE. 



the grass ends in a balustrade surmounted by one graceful statue, flanked by old fir trees, 

 and far away the hills and valleys are seen fading into the blue distance. Turn and look towards 

 the other end and past the masses of climbing pink blossoms. The green closes in a circular 

 grotto of coloured pebbles and shells enclosed in an arch and crowned by a balustrade. 

 Beyond, high against a turquoise sky, the dark, dainty finger-tips of cypresses point upwards, 

 closing in the lines which on either hand frame the vista. 



The bowling green, long and very narrow, runs the whole length of the grounds. We pass 

 through the house, cool with marble floors, and come out on the western fafade. Again there 

 is a narrow grass strip, but not so long, and bounded by a balustrade on which stand vases 

 and stone dogs. The house has an open arcade thrown out on either side (Fig. 330), and to 

 the south is an oblong piece of ground, which, when the present owners took it, was nothing 

 but a rough and neglected half- vineyard, half-kitchen garden, which had been used for 

 many years as a sort of general utility plot. It is now the water garden (Fig. 334), set 

 with huge tanks covered with white and pink water lilies ; fountains play in all directions, 

 and the one old fountain which was found there still occupies the place of honour in the middle. 

 Half effaced as it is, it shows a master's touch. A boy riding a dolphin, a common device 

 enough ; but how this boy rides ! with what arrogant mischief the imp bestrides his aquatic 

 mount, and balances the fountain basin on his confident head ! Thanks to all this water, 

 there are flowers in profusion. The whole is a feast of pure colour against backgrounds of 

 clipped dark foliage. 



From the bowling green we pass through the wall to a terraced wood. The wood is quite 

 small, with stone seats under the dense boughs, and then, without warning, we come out again 

 into a little grotto garden, with fountain, rococo statues, and balustraded flights of steps. 

 This leads up to a lemon garden (Fig. 327), backed by the lemonaia or stanzone, a 

 feature of every old Italian garden, in which all the half-hardy plants can be stored in the 

 winter. Beyond this again lies the real wood, with winding walks under ilexes and cypresses. 



