THE TIVOLI FALLS, THE VILLA D’ESTE AND HADRIAN'S VILLA. 189 
grand organ fountain, which is 
built into the flanking hillside at 
right angles to the main terrace. 
The famous alley of the hundred 
fountains is a level walk below 
that of the main terrace. The 
vista down this alley is effective, 
extending to the end fountain, 
whose white spray is seen en- 
closed in a setting of laurel 
foliage. Eagles, boats, obelisks 
and fleur-de-lys, all in masonry, 
line the bank above the jetting 
fountains of this unique gallery. 
To-day they are overhung with 
maidenhair fern, which veils the 
obliteration of the delicate 
stucco reliefs in which Pirro 
Eigorio delighted. 
Besides the main stairway 
descent on the axis line there 
are raking, sloping ways that 
descend to the various levels 
that step down the hillside in 
succession. The slopes are 
thickly planted so that the 
scheme is not too visible, and a 
great and interesting variety of 
vistas is thus secured. The 
main idea was that of spreading 
the waters of Anio over the 
gardens so that a great con- 
certed piece of w'ater music 
should be created. The tinkle 
of the small fountains leads up 
to the grand roar of the more 
massive cascades falling into 
the great basins. Everywhere 
the sound of waters pervades 
the gardens, bringing freshness 
and a lulling sense of repose in 
the heated atmosphere of the 
Italian noonday. 
The villa is the creation of 
its own time, of an age obsessed 
with the recovered glories of 
old Rome. To this are due some 
features of the scheme, which 
may make but faint appeal to the 
present-day student of Italian 
gardening. The miniature of 
Rome, a series of little structures 
occupying a terrace plateau to 
itself, is a jeu d’esprit of a kind 
195. — THE VILLA d’eSTE AT TIVOLI. 
Rcsloraiion by Percier and Foninin-:. 
1 96. -VIEW LOOKING UP THE MAIN AXIS OF THE 
VILLA d’eSTE. 
