i8 
THE ART OF GARDEN DESIGN IN ITALY 
men, whose only care was the cultivation of life’s necessaries, the art of ornamental gardening was of 
very small importance. The only flowers that were cultivated were used for ceremonial purposes and 
the adornment of the church ; a small walled-in garden laid out in simple square plots, and known 
as the ‘giardinus sacristas,’ being usually provided for this purpose. 
The nobility remained immured within their crenellated ramparts, like robber chieftains, 
waging incessant war upon their neighbours, tyrannising the whole countryside, and far too busily 
occupied to be able to afford the luxury of garden-building. Occasionally within the castle walls 
space would be found for some small flower garden, or for the growth of medicinal herbs, vegetables, 
or fruit. Such gardens were invariably arranged in simple and regular compartments, divided by low 
screens of wattles, with raised seats of grass around the walls. Arbours and trellises, reminiscent 
of the more ancient pergolas, and occasionally a fountain or canal for the preservation of fish—such 
features, with perhaps some small topiary-work, constituted the only means of ornamentation. We 
occasionally see these delightful little gardens illustrated in paintings, old missal illuminations, and 
calendars. Becoming more ambitious in their design, fountains and waterworks were introduced, and 
generally became the central and most important feature of the design. Well-heads, which are 
