ITALIAN VILLAS 
neighbourliness and sociability. But the Villa Pisani is 
a palace. Its majestic facade, with pillared central corps 
de batiment and far-reaching wings, stands on the high- 
way bordering the Brenta ; behind are the remains of 
the old formal gardens, and on each side, the park 
extends along the road, from which it is divided by a 
high wall and several im- 
posing gateways. The 
palace is built about two 
inner courts, and its in- 
numerable rooms are fres- 
coed by the principal 
Italian decorative painters 
of the day, while the great 
central saloon has one 
tu. Dr-'ijjQ'l- • 
GATEWAY— VILLA PISANI, STRA 
of Tiepolo’s most riotously splendid ceilings. Fortu- 
nately for the preservation of these treasures, Stra, after 
being the property of Eugene Beauharnais, was ac- 
quired by the Italian government, and is now a “ villa 
nazionale,” well kept up and open to the public. 
In the etching of Costa, an elaborate formal garden 
with parterres de broderie is seen to extend from the 
back of the villa to the beautifully composed stables 
which face it. This garden has unfortunately been re- 
placed by a level meadow, flanked on both sides by 
boschi, with long straight walks piercing the dense green 
leafage of elm, beech and lime. Here and there frag- 
ments of garden-architecture have survived the evident 
244 
