3 6 Old Gardens of Italy 



Madonna del Monte. At the top of the first series 

 of arcades (where the church comes into sight) turn 

 along the level road to the left, and after a few yards 

 take the narrow path to the right. This leads be- 

 tween houses for five minutes and joins another 

 coming in from the left close to the picturesque 

 grotesque-crowned wall of the Villa Valmarana. 

 I could not gain admission as no one was in charge 

 and the whole place was locked up. The parterre 

 and lemon house are, however, open to view frOm 

 the road through iron gates, and the very attractive 

 Loggia attributed to Palladio are well seen. The 

 parterre was quite modernised and uninteresting, 

 and the stanzone empty. I feel sure, from what I 

 saw, that nothing of the fine old garden described 

 as follows in " Evelyn's Diary," has been retained : 

 " Count Ulmarini " (a footnote to " Evelyn's 

 Diary " says Lassells calls him Valmerana) " is 

 famous for his garden, being without the walls, 

 especially his cedrario, or conserve of oranges, 

 eleven score of my paces long, set in order and 

 ranges, making a canopy all the way by their inter- 

 mixing branches for more than 200 of my single 

 paces, and which, being full of fruit and blossoms, 

 was a most delicious sight. In the middle of this 

 garden was a cupola made of wire, supported by 

 slender pillars of brick, so closely covered with ivy, 

 both without and within, that nothing was to be 

 perceived but green; betwixt the arches there 

 dangled festoons of the same. Here is likewise a 

 most inextricable labyrinth." 



