54 



GARDEN CRAFT IN EUROPE 



Frascati has long been famous for its villas and pleasure grounds, and 

 since ancient days the undulating countr)^ at the foot of the Alban Moun- 

 tains has been the favourite resort of the citizens of Rome wishing to 

 escape from the heat and bustle of the great city. 



The Villa Aldobrandini stands grandly upon a succession of broad terraces 

 with three main avenues of approach. It was built in 1598 for the nephew 

 of Pope Clement VIII, Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, from the designs of 



ARCHITECTURAL TERMINATION TO THE CASCADE, VILLA ALDOBRANDINI, FRASCATI. 



Giacoma della Porta, famous as the architect who completed the dome of 

 St. Peters. For the best contemporary account of the villa we must again 

 turn to the description of John Evelyn, who saw it soon after completion. He 

 gives a picturesque description of the water theatre that Giovanni Fon- 

 tana and Orazio Olivieri designed behind the palace. "From the summit 

 of the hill, falls a cascade precipitating into a large theatre of water {illus. p. 55)- 

 Under this is an artificial grotto, wherein are curious rocks, hydraulic organs^ 



