ITALIAN VILLAS 
now lead to an ilex-grove level with the first story of 
the villa. This grove is intersected by mossy alleys, 
leading to circular clearings where fountains overflow 
their wide stone basins, and benches are ranged about 
in the deep shade. The central alley, on the axis of the 
villa, leads through the wood to a great grassy semi- 
circle at the foot of an ilex-clad hill. The base of the 
hillside is faced with a long arcade of twenty niches, 
divided by pilasters, and each containing a fountain. In 
the centre is a great baroque pile of rock-work, from 
which the spray tosses into a semicircular basin, which 
also receives the cascade descending from the hilltop. 
This cascade is the most beautiful example of fountain- 
architecture in Frascati. It falls by a series of inclined 
stone ledges into four oval basins, each a little wider 
than the one above it. On each side, stone steps which 
follow the curves of the basins lead to a grassy plateau 
above, with a balustraded terrace overhanging the rush 
of the cascade. The upper plateau is enclosed in ilexes, 
and in its centre is one of the most beautiful fountains 
in Italy — a large basin surrounded by a richly sculp- 
tured balustrade. The plan of this fountain is an inter- 
esting example of the variety which the Italian garden- 
architects gave to the outline of their basins. Even in 
the smaller gardens the plan of these basins is varied 
with taste and originality ; and the small wall-fountains 
are also worthy of careful study. 
Among the villas of Frascati there are two, less 
