THE ITALIAN GARDEN 



29 



lattice of gilded reeds. Long before the Renaissance had fully matured 

 the classic passion for beautiful gardens reasserted itself with renewed 

 vigour as a growing sense of safety and an influx of wealth permitted the 

 pleasures of country life to become more and more appreciated by the 

 noble families of the day, and so great an impetus, was given to the move- 

 ment that the whole countryside round Florence and other great cities 

 soon became studded with villas and pleasure grounds. 



A GARDEN FROM LORENZO LOTTO S PICTURE OF CHRIST S FAREWELL 



TO THE VIRGIN." 



Chief amongst the makers of princely gardens were the Medici at Flor- 

 ence, and Cosimo de Medici was one of the first great princes to turn his serious 

 attention to garden design. In 141 7 he purchased a country seat at Careggio, 

 which he entirely rebuilt and laid out from the designs of Michelozzo Miche- 

 lozzi ; the villa still exists, though little of Cosimo's work remains. Here 

 he spent the last years of an arduous life, seldom moving abroad, and here 

 he died in 1464. According to Vasari, Michelozzi also laid out the for- 



