A last Italian garden - Like the garden at the Villa Le Balze, this garden was built by a man who married a woman with a lot of money.
Arthur Acton was a British art collector and dealer who spent much of his life in Italy. His wife, Hortense, was the daughter of William Hamilton Mitchell, founder of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank.
While the villa was built in the Renaissance, when the Actons bought it in 1907 it only had a park in the English style and a walled vegetable garden.
Arthur and his wife proceeded to create a magnificent Baroque Italian garden, which was preserved by their son Harold, who bequeathed it to the New York University in 1994.
The oldest part of the garden is the enclosed vegetable garden.
At the time of the year we were there (January) there were kale, leeks and savoy cabbages growing. At the back is a limonàia where they keep potted lemons and oranges over the winter.
The vegetable garden is the only section of the garden that is very old. It is thought to date mostly from the 1700s. There are magnificent gates to that walled garden.
Bordering the vegetable garden on one side is the house (look at the size of the container flanking the alley below).
The rest of the garden is magnificent with beautiful vistas and over 160 statues, many from the 1700s and 1800s taken from the Venice area. In fact, the garden seems in part to have been built to display the statues.
If there is a problem with La Pietra it is that you are overcome by the munificence.
Except for the vegetable garden, you go from one area with many statues, beautiful hedges, perfectly maintained gravel paths each with a vista at the end, to another area with many statues, beautiful hedges, perfectly maintained gravel paths each with a vista at the end.
This alcove in the end of a terrace looks like the ideal place to sit and have lunch on a sunny winter day, watched over by a large terracotta dog, and by the door two terracotta lions.
Arthur Acton was a British art collector and dealer who spent much of his life in Italy. His wife, Hortense, was the daughter of William Hamilton Mitchell, founder of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank.
While the villa was built in the Renaissance, when the Actons bought it in 1907 it only had a park in the English style and a walled vegetable garden.
Arthur and his wife proceeded to create a magnificent Baroque Italian garden, which was preserved by their son Harold, who bequeathed it to the New York University in 1994.
The oldest part of the garden is the enclosed vegetable garden.
At the time of the year we were there (January) there were kale, leeks and savoy cabbages growing. At the back is a limonàia where they keep potted lemons and oranges over the winter.
The vegetable garden is the only section of the garden that is very old. It is thought to date mostly from the 1700s. There are magnificent gates to that walled garden.
The rest of the garden is magnificent with beautiful vistas and over 160 statues, many from the 1700s and 1800s taken from the Venice area. In fact, the garden seems in part to have been built to display the statues.
If there is a problem with La Pietra it is that you are overcome by the munificence.
Except for the vegetable garden, you go from one area with many statues, beautiful hedges, perfectly maintained gravel paths each with a vista at the end, to another area with many statues, beautiful hedges, perfectly maintained gravel paths each with a vista at the end.
I thought the garden was magnificent. However, when I came to write about it, I found it difficult. I am not quite sure why. Perhaps because most sections of the garden were a repetition of the previous ones. It might also be that we saw it towards the end of our visit to Florence when we had reached a saturation point as far as outstanding gardens are concerned.
Not far from the house is a great pergola.
This alcove in the end of a terrace looks like the ideal place to sit and have lunch on a sunny winter day, watched over by a large terracotta dog, and by the door two terracotta lions.
We leave through the cypress alley that links the villa to the public road.
I know what you mean about reaching your saturation point!
ReplyDeleteThinking about it, an other factor that influenced me was the fact that you are not allowed to roam in this garden, a guide has to accompany you.
DeleteI've enjoyed them all. Thank you. What a time you had!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you did. I think we saw every garden it was possible to see (for instance some open only in the spring).
DeleteYour saturation point reminds me of when we once spent a week visiting chateaux in the Loire region of France -we visited at least one chateau each day and in the end we were chateaued! How long were you in Italy?
ReplyDeleteWe were there for December and January - 61 days. We rented a furnished apartment and did most of our cooking.
DeleteHello Alain, it certainly sounds as though you are reaching a saturation point. You've written about so so many gardens that it's now like, "oh great, yet another border/garden/statue/vista...". Hope you're still having a good time and not feeling too jaded after all these garden visits.
ReplyDeleteActually it was a lot of fun - a few we actually saw more than once.
DeleteIt looks like a beautiful garden , Alain. Did it inspire you too ? I always think that is an indication of the best gardens - that they inspire you to change something about the way you garden, personally
ReplyDeleteI am sure all the gardens we visit influence our way of gardening, even if most of the time we are not conscious of it.
DeleteOh yes, I can imagine having a lovely lunch on that patio--in any season, really. Thanks for sharing these highlights from your time in Italy.
ReplyDeleteThat spot looked quite appealing.
DeleteSuch long holidays, Alain and so many what to see, I loved all your photos. I enlarged them and enjoyed watching warm Italy when snow and rain is outside. I liked especially big pergola and veggies garden. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnother very interesting tour, thank you. I love that gates for the vegetable garden - they should make for some very regal vegetables. The Cypress allee seems to me an iconic Italian view, but then I have never been to Italy. As for the repetition in this garden, perhaps they just knew what they liked so they had a lot of it!
ReplyDeleteThe garden is lovely but it has a very micromanaged feel to it. Not a leaf seems out of place. I prefer gardens that are a bit wild and carefree. But I do love how much dignity is given to the vegetable garden. :o)
ReplyDelete