VILLA D'ESTE, CERNOBRIO, A\D VILLAS ON 1..1K1- COMO. 357 



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in the lay-out. The walls arc encrusted with coloured stones, in red, white, black, green 

 and yellow. The opening between the screen walls forming the main axis is sixteen t'cct 

 wide, and a flight of nine steps leads to an oval court, about ten by eighteen yards, with a 

 pond in the centre. There are twelve rather coarse caryatid figures with oval panels 

 between, all being set with the mosaic of coloured stones. A cross road, twenty-four feet 

 wide, runs at the back of this complex screen wall, but the main axial line is carried straight 

 up the hill for something like two hundred and seventy-eight yards to the great niche at 

 the summit. Lined with tall cypresses all the way, this vista is most effective (I'ig. 371). 

 These trees are planted about twelve yards apart. Marking out the central vista are stone 

 basins forming a continuous series of dripping fountains ; each steps up above the other 



with the rise of the 

 hill. There are about 

 one hundred and 

 twenty-seven on each 

 side, and the space 

 between is sixteen feet. 

 The cypresses are two 

 yards away from the 

 basins, which are about 

 four yards apart and 

 two yards long. The 

 axial avenue may, there- 

 fore, be taken as about 

 eleven yards wide. At 

 the summit the drip 

 wells are replaced by 

 five stone benches on 

 either side, keeping the 

 same line up to the 

 niche. The statue of 

 Hercules is a some- 

 what coarse production, 

 as is also the grotto 

 which shelters it. 

 There is a pond basin 

 inside with an inlet from 

 the stream, the main 

 part of which finds its 

 way down to the right. 

 Looking downwards 

 there is a grand view 

 from this point of the 

 lake seen between the 

 lines of cypresses. At 

 the summit above the 

 grotto the hillsides 

 become a wild park, 

 with some sham ruined 

 towers and buildings 

 commanding points of 

 view over the lake. It 

 is an earthly paradise 

 for the active northern 



374. THE APPROACH TO BALBIANELLO, ON LAKE COMO. child folk joy fully 



