VILLA D'ESTE, CERNOBBIO, AND VILLAS ON LAKE COMO. 
357 
in the lay-out. The walls are encrusted with coloured stones, in red, white, black, green 
and yellow. The opening between the screen walls forming the main axis is sixteen feet 
wide, and a flight of nine steps leads to an oval court, about ten by eighteen yards, with a 
pond in the centre. There are twelve rather coarse caryatid figures with oval panels 
between, all being set with the mosaic of coloured stones. A cross road, twenty-four feet 
wide, runs at the back of this complex screen wall, but the main axial line is carried straight 
up the hill for something like two hundred and seventy-eight yards to the great niche at 
the summit. Lined with tall cypresses all the way, this vista is most eft'ective (Fig. 371). 
These trees are planted about twelve yards apart. Marking out the central vista are stone 
basins forming a continuous series of dripping fountains ; each steps up above the other 
with the rise of the 
hill. There are about 
one hundred and 
twenty-seven on each 
side, and the space 
between is sixteen feet. 
The cypresses are two 
yards away from the 
basins, which are about 
four yards apart and 
two yards long. The 
axial avenue may, there- 
fore, be taken as about 
eleven yards wide. At 
the summit the drip 
wells are replaced by 
five stone benches on 
either side, keeping the 
same line up to the 
niche. The statue of 
Hercules is a s o m e- 
what coarse production, 
as is also the grotto 
which shelters it. 
There is a pond basin 
inside with an inlet from 
the stream, the main 
part of which finds its 
way dowm to the right. 
Looking downwards 
there is a grand view 
from this point of the 
lake seen between the 
lines of cypresses. At 
the summit above the 
grotto the hillsides 
become a wild park, 
with some sham ruined 
towers and buildings 
commanding points of 
view over the lake. It 
is an earthly paradise 
for the active northern 
374. — THE APPROACH TO B.ALBIANELLO, ON LAKE COMO. child folk joyfully 
