Though the Palazzo Apostolico is in part at least ot earlier date, the 

 gardens do not appear to have been laid out until the time of Pope 

 Urban VIII., who, feeling the want of a garden suitable to his state, decided 

 to make one on the rough hill-side to the north of the palace, where 

 the ground was encumbered with the remains of ancient walls. At 

 considerable expense these walls were removed, and the ground was 

 levelled, but the outlying parts were terraced with new and high walls. 

 In connection with the laying out of these gardens the names of 

 Maderna and Ottavio Mascarini are mentioned, but it is not easy at this 

 distance of time to assign the work with any degree of certainty. 



The garden on the upper level was laid out largely with straight 

 alleys and many square plots, with low hedges of box or myrtle, 

 enclosing an embroidery of flowers and box-work. To those who do 

 not love the ordered garden this will doubtless seem a little tame ; but 

 variety was obtained by the great diversity of fountains, statuary and 

 other works of ancient art. At the greater walks, avenues of cypress 

 broke across the garden, where also casinos were built at various points, 

 everything being done to make the place worthy of the great Pontiff. 



In the foreground of one of Falda's views a quaint device is shown ; 

 this is a bower erected over one of the principal fountains, which takes 

 the form of a cupola of trellis-work, supported on eight pillars, the whole 

 being wreathed in greenery, which was possibly composed of evergreens, 

 though there is no reason why it should not have been of roses. 



Not far distant from this was a Mount Parnassus, without which, 

 apparently, no garden could be considered complete. This unfortunately 

 fell into disrepair and its place was taken by a hydraulic organ, which in 

 turn fell on evil days, though its remains are still shown to the curious in 

 the wonderful grotto beneath the great terrace. 



The gardens have naturally been a good deal modernised, yet much 

 remains of the ancient setting. In places, the hedges of ilex, box or bay 

 which enclosed the plots have grown to a height of some thirty feet, 

 making courts and alleys delightful in the extreme, though scarcely what 

 the architect intended them to be. 



Hawthorne gives a pleasant description of the gardens as they were 

 before they passed out of the hands of the Pope. " They are tery 



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