HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 39 



curious desire to imitate nature, old gardens all over Italy have been altered and entirely spoilt. 

 In many of the old villas round Rome, Florence, and all the great cities of Italy, terraces and 

 parterres have been ruthlessly removed to make way for plantations of deciduous trees, lawns, 

 and carpet bedding, than which nothing can be more out of place. Let us hope that Italians 

 in the twentieth century will once again turn to the models that still fortunately remain, and, 

 jealously guarding these from further ruthless spoliation, once mure return to the principles of 

 their older school o[ garden designers, great artists who gave the art of gardcnage to the whole 

 of Western Europe. 



