Italy once the heartland of the Roman Empire,is one

of the most beautiful countries in the world.

It is the smiling land of vineyards,olive orchards,villas
gardens.
To the north are the Snow-Cove red Alps,and to the
south,east.and west is the blue Mediterranean.
Climate is mild.rain comes in winter and there in
plenty and mostly remains sunshine.
 In the countryside of Italy farming were done by
independent farmers.They called the farms as
“hortus” i.e,a garden rather than “fundus” i.e,a
farm.
 They grew wheat,spelt and berley on their holdings
and grazedcattle on the village common.
 With the rise of the large estates the farmergave
place to the villa,where landlord lived in comfort
and also entertained his friends.
 The evolution of Italian gardens can be best
explained with Maymont garden
 It is easy to forget, as one strolls through the Italian
Garden, that Maymont is a public park. The garden
is magnificent—featuring exquisite stonework,
statuary, gazebos, fountains and, of course,
beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees.
 Maymont has been both—a private estate joyously
thrust open to the public through the generosity of
its owners.
 Major and Mrs. James H. Dooley originally
commissioned Maymont's gardens at the turn of the
20th century.
 The sweeping lawns that surround their mansion
and the other estate buildings were landscaped in
the English pastoral style. In contrast to this
planned, naturalistic landscape was the formality
of the Italian Garden.
 Noland and Baskervill of Richmond designed the
Dooleys' Italian Garden, using elements of the
classical style developed in Italy in the 15th and
16th centuries as their model.
 the Villa Torlonia near Rome. Completed in 1910,
the Italian Garden's exquisite stonework is
Petersburg granite, and remains unmatched by
any other public garden.
 The Maymont garden incorporates a number of
features characteristic of the Italian style:
fountains, geometrically-shaped beds, sculpture,
the contrast of sun and shade within the long
pergola that stretches along the northern edge of
the garden.
 In keeping with the classical ideal, the Maymont
garden was laid out in several levels and situated
on a south-facing slope overlooking a body of
water.
 The formal entrance to the Italian Garden is at its
western end, oriented toward Maymont House.
 A stone arch with the Latin inscription "Via
Florum" (flowering way) marks the transition
from informal parkland into the enclosed world of
the Italian Garden.
 One enters the garden under the shelter of the
pergola, a structure consisting of parallel rusticated
granite colonnades supporting a trellis-work roof
on which two species of wisteria are trained.
 The pergola is terminated by a dome under which
the slightest sound produces a curious echo.
 The Italian Garden pergola is especially sought
after for outdoor weddings during the warmer
months of the year.
 Geometrically patterned beds, or parterres, are a
distinct element of the Italian style.
 Italian gardens had few flowers.Plants were
primarily evergreens for texture and shape, often
in manicured topiary.
 The shaped beds of Maymont's main level,
however, reflect the Victorian taste for flowers, now
the modern preference as well.
 Three additional levels of the garden can be seen
from the main level: the Secret Garden, the
Promenade and the Cascade.
 In Italian gardens of the Renaissance, the secret
garden was designed as a small, enclosed courtyard
to which ladies could retire to talk and do
needlework.
 To the east is an important vista designed to be
viewed from the garden.
 The focal point of the view is a gazebo of classical
design imported from Italy by the Dooleys.
 When visiting Maymont's Italian Garden, consider
its geometrical design, its multiple levels, its
historical vistas, its color combinations and its
relationship to the larger landscape.
 There is no single style Italian garden. Italy has
many diverse regions that influence the form and
function of its gardens.
 . Today's Italian gardens are not only shaped by
climate and geography, but also history. Roman
and Renaissance styles, for example, branded their
own stamp on garden design.
 Italy has inspired much in garden design. From
the frescoes of Pompeii's courtyard gardens to the
classical marble tiles that bedecked Roman patios,
there are many ways to bring Italy to your own
backyard.
 Whether planning a small courtyard style garden or a
large villa-style landscape, there are also many Italian
features to suit every budget.
 Like many European gardens, most Italian
gardens throughout history have been highly
stylized, but markedly functional.
 A villa garden would have distinct sections - the
orchard, the patio, the flowerbeds, a pond or water
element, and most likely a kitchen garden.
 Your own landscape may only require a touch of
Italy - a water feature for instance. Your formal
pond encased by marble paving may boast a
backdrop of cypress.
 A simple wall fountain sporting a classical statue
or a Florentine motif may be all that is needed to
suggest an Italian influence. Water is an important
feature of any Italian garden
 Many of the ancient roman features were
preserved in the volcanic ash of Pompeii. Frescoes
of farm life or grapevine adorned many of the
walls of small courtyard gardens.
 Other artistic features for your Italian garden
might be as grand as ruins - a fallen column
trailing with ivy - or something traditional like
Romanesque statues - a woman holding a jug or a
gladiator welcoming visitors for a stroll down the
garden path.
 Mapping out the entire garden in a geometric pattern was a
main feature of Italian Renaissance gardens.
 Other ornaments that could easily suggest an Italian
influence might be a pavilion modeled after a Venetian or
Florentine design, a hidden grotto somewhere on the
premises, or even simple terra cotta containers housing
typical plants native to Italy. Fountains, gazebos and even
fencing can be adapted to Italian designs.
 For less formal gardens, consider growing a special pizza
garden with tomatoes, olives, basil, peppers and onions.
 If your landscape contains a slope, consider
revamping it into an outdoor classical theatre
where you might entertain in the garden.
 Any marble object could also be placed somewhere
in the landscape.
 This garden is considered to be Italy's most
prestigious monument to late-Renaissance art, and
is attributed to the architect Vignola, who built the
garden for Cardinal Gambara during the mid to
late 1500's.
 The design is centered on a single axis with water
as the main theme, amd with the architectural
structures ( two palazzinas) subordinate to the
garden.
 There is a beautiful transition from the woods and
nature at the highest level to the extreme geometry
of the lower terrace or parterre.
 Changes occurred over the centuries, with Duke
Ippolito Lante in 1656, thereby adding the more
elegant patterns according to the style of the
French designer, La Notre in 1971.
The Fountain of the
Giants
 This castle, dating back to 1364, was converted to a
palatial villa for Cardinal Ferdinando de'Medici in
1575.
 It sits high on a hill overlooking Florence and the
Arno valley, and is a classic example of Italian
Renaissance design. I visited it in September
during a month-long stay in Tuscany.
 This most scenic garden in Italy, was once the
favored grounds of the Medici family.
 Located behind the famous Pitti Palace and
constructed by Triboli - who at the time was the
first name in Italian garden design - this is the
foremost garden in Italy.
 The dirt paths seem to drift for miles, and a quick
climb up the Fortezza di Belvedere includes one of
the best views of the city at its summit.
 Aging statues, winding pathways and intricate

botanical gardens abound.

 As one of the most scenic regions in the country, its
no wonder that Tuscany offers many other fine
Italian gardens. The Villa Reale de Marlia lies just
outside Florence, and includes the garden in Italy
that Napoleon's sister would use to entertain
members of Europe's royalty. Also nearby is Villa
Gamberaia, whose hilly location and
accommodating pools are the utmost in Italian
garden design.
 Spitting gargoyles, cascading waterfalls and
Another major center for Italian gardens is Lake
Como, where the wealthiest aristocrats of the
1800s built their villas. These lake front properties
beneath the Dolomites still exude privilege and
prestige to this day - readily apparent not only in
the luxurious dwellings but also in Italian gardens
such as the Villa Cicogna Mozzoni and Villa
Carlotta.
 The Villa d'Este, located just 20 miles east of Rome
in the city of Tivoli. The city also boasts famous
Italian gardens such as Villa Gregoriana and
Hadrian's Villa, where only the ruins remain of the
estate where the Roman Emperor lived out his
final days
 Terraces: The terraces
were ornamented with
statuary, using marble
on the upper terrace
and bronze on the levels
below.A series of
terraces links the house
to the lake and leads the
eye onwards to the
distinctive slopes of the
Sugar Loaf mountain.
 A Shaded Patio Area:
The thought of designing
Italian style patios maybe
daunting for most people,
however if a few guidelines
are followed we can easily
suggest a strong Italian
theme in our gardens. We
should aim to create a
shaded patio area near the
house, where we can sit and
dine 'al fresco' on summers
evenings, or enjoy a coffee
and fresh brioche in the
mornings, with easy access
to the house and all its
amenities.
 Shade is most easily
achieved using a simple
pergola, made from
wood or wrought iron
above, with a strong
structure (either ornate
wrought iron or even
simple, taught wires) at
the sides, which can
then have vines, roses
and classic, scented
plants like
Rhynchospermum
jasminoides grown
over it.
Rhynchospermum Jasmoides
 In just one year both
the roof and sides of
the structure will have
a healthy covering- if
the plants are
maintained well.
 The best vine to use is
a strawberry vine (Uva
fragola 'Nera') as it is
disease-resistant and
releases an amazing,
strawberry aroma in
the summer.
 The styling of the floor will say a lot so use a
broken (crazy paving effect) in travertino, which is
less expensive than marble, for an, inexpensive
elegant Italian feel, or rustic, re-claimed bricks for
that Tuscan, country-garden feel, or (as I prefer)
river-washed gravel in beige tones.
 Italian-style furnishing and relaxed, yet colorful
Italian features, like rusted iron chandeliers and
candle holders will instantly suggest an Italian
ambience and colorful bowls of fruit add a homely,
Mediterranean touch.
 In the shaded areas plants like Boxwood (Buxus
sempervirens) will add a touch of elegance if
placed symmetrically either side of doors or other
entrances.
 White Hydrangeas such as H. macrophylla
'Annabelle', in large vases can make up the body of
the planting and elegant evergreens like Osmanthus
fragrans and Gardenia jasminoides will fill the area
with scent on summers evenings and will address a
very important and often overlooked feature of the
garden...perfume!

Gardenia jasminoides                 Osmanthus fragrans

 The planting around the structure should aim to
shield the area from winds and add a sense of
visual security. Tough, evergreen Mediterranean
plants like Oleander (Nerium oleander), Viburnum
tinus and Pittosporum tobira can be used as simple
yet sturdy structure plants. A trimmed cypress tree
(Cupressus sempervirens) will instantly add an
Italian feel and, although over-used, this plant is
still a must for suggesting an Italian feel. Cypress
trees can be maintained at the height you wish,
with careful annual pruning and (if pruned) can
even be grown right against the house, without
causing serious root damage.
 With the minimum of illumination on the structure
plants (Buxus, Cupressus etc...) we can create a
very chic environment for dining al fresco that will
suggest and portray the very best of Italian style.
 Inhabitants of the city of Rome frequently
employed courtyard ( as above) and kitchen
gardens, it was the inhabitants of the Roman
countryside who perfected the pleasure garden
that ancient Roman villas are noted for.
PRERNA (9030)
NEHA (9026)
DEEPSHIKHA (9010)
DEEPTI (9012)
JASWINDER (9017)