28 



THE ART OF GARDEN DESIGN IN ITALY 



of fourteen of his castles burnt by that Pope in the Campagna of Rome. Restored some years 

 later, it was occupied by the Farnese family, notably by Margaret de' Medici. The undulating 

 lines of Monte Mario, clothed as they once were with magnificent pine woods, formed a dark and 

 imposing background, and acted as a foil to the dazzling brilliance of the villa, with its grand 

 terraces and stairways. On the upper terrace was an exquisite fountain by Giovanni da Udine, 

 which Vasari says was built in imitation of a temple of Neptune just then discovered among the 

 ruins of the Palazzo Maggiore, and that the Cardinal de' Medici was so much pleased with this 

 production of Giovanni's skill that he rewarded him with a canonry. Three large openings lead 



In the 



ancient manner, 

 a colossal statue. 



to the garden, of which the' centre of one side is occupied by a large basin of marble. 



grotto are the remains of fine mosaic decorations, with fish, aquatic animals, and shell-fish in the 



^' *'' ''"^ °f ^'^ g^i'den arose a high gateway flanked on either side with 

 From the upper terrace a magnificent view extended over the winding course of the 



Tiber and the Campagna beyond. 



Besides the Villa Madama, Raphael also designed the Villa Farnesiana at Rome, and laid 



out the early scheme for the garden of the Vatican. The former palace was built about 1506 



for the banker Agostino Chigi, and was renowned for the magnificent entertainments given to 

 Pope Leo X. 



