VILLA GARZONI 



Though apparently laid out with the intention of producing a grand 

 coup d'ceil as first seen from the entrance gateway, the Villa Garzoni is so 

 well designed that, as you advance further into the recesses of the garden, 

 it unfolds one delightful picture after another. 



A wide grille at the lower end lays the garden open to the public 

 gaze. In the foreground is the more elaborate parterre, beyond lies a 

 succession of terraces, and the steep hill-side above is clothed with ilex 

 woods. Following the line of stairways and fountains, the eye is led 

 upwards through a broad opening in the bosco till it rests on the colossal 

 statue of Fame which crowns the summit. Much of the architectural 

 detail of the villa is debased, and scattered about the gardens and filling 

 the niches are florid statues larger than life ; but the general scheme of 

 the garden is so good that you overlook any minor shortcomings and even 

 forget that they exist. 



The site upon which the gardens are laid out is singularly irregular, 

 even for an Italian villa. It almost looks as if the architect had taken a 

 delight in combating the difficulties presented by such an odd-shaped 

 piece of ground. In this case the irregularity is the more curious, as 

 unlike Frascati, the whole region around was under the lordship of the 

 Garzoni family. Yet the villa is full of anomalies ; not only does a 

 public way cut the boseo into two parts (necessitating a bridge), but the 

 approach to the little town which is perched on the hill behind is 

 remarkable for its peculiarity. In order to reach it, it is necessary to 

 climb the fourfold ramp that lead« to the grand portal of the palace, and 

 to pass through the palace and the arcaded cortile. That the only 



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