ITALIAN GARDENS OF THE RENAISSANCE 



by the Florentine merchants of the Arte della Lana, 

 and is united to S. Maria degli Angeli by a tall bell- 

 tower containing the actual bell from Orlando's Castle 

 of Chiusi. This relic of the original lord of La Vernia 

 was moved here by the special permission of Lorenzo 

 de' Medici, and has been twice recast since it has 

 occupied its present position. Orlando himself be- 

 came a member of the third order of Francis in the 

 Saint's lifetime, and lies buried in the little church 

 of S. Maria degli Angeli. Many are the noble bene- 

 factors who gave their gold to build or adorn a chapel 

 at La Vernia, and whose bones rest in the precincts 

 of the convent. 



Among the decorations, which were the gift of 

 Florentine citizens, are several altar-pieces of the 

 Delia Robbia school, which is largely represented at 

 La Vernia. Of these, three masterpieces by the hand 

 of Andrea della Robbia are to be seen in the Chiesa 

 Maggiore, the Annunciation, Nativity, and Ascension. 

 The two former, in their delicate blue and white 

 tints, are exquisite specimens of this master who 

 carried the art of Luca's invention to the highest 

 degree of perfection of which it is capable. 



Never was the spirit of the words Ecce ancilla 



Domini rendered more perfectly than in the lowly 



maiden kneeling before the angelic messenger who, 



swift and strong in his youthful beauty, bends on one 



266 



