Italian Gardens
Helena Attlee's history of Italian gardens opens in Petrarch's late-medieval plot and closes with the modern gardens of Pietro Porcinai and Russell Page. She describes the gardens, their patrons and their architects - but, crucially, she shows why they were made and how they were understood and enjoyed.

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The great gardens of the Italian Renaissance are here - among them Villa d'Este, Villa Lante, Isola Bella and Villa Aldobrandini - as well as lesser-known examples from the eighteeenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These are not empty terraces; they are peopled by guests in their silks who find themselves suddenly drenched by powerful water tricks, seduced by ethereal music, or invited to take their seats at an alfresco banquet.


The book is written with a sprightly touch that belies its considerable scholarship. It is illustrated with a rich and lively mix of archival drawings, plans, prints and paintings that has been selected from a wide range of sources and combined with outstanding contemporary photography by Alex Ramsay.

This is an invaluable introduction for any student and an essential and delightful read for the garden visitor - armchair or otherwise.
Read reviews:
Country Life (Sir Roy Strong)
 Daily Telegraph (Tim Richardson)
 Sunday Telegraph (Elspeth Thompson)



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