My Italian Garden Tour

17 years ago

Just back from a tour of Italian Gardens in Tuscany (a tough job, but someone has to do it). I thought I'd share a few pictures.

This was taken in a tiny hill town called Spello. The whole town is paved, just about every plant is in a pot.

{{gwi:501932}}

This was a beautiful garden that had been held privately and was now run by a foundation. It was owned by an expatriate couple who lived there thru WWII and hosted war orphans and refugees at the place. She wrote a book about it, but I just can't bring her name to mind now, darn it!

{{gwi:501934}}

Villa Lante, famous for it's fountains and waterworks. Here's a website that tells more about it: http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Jardin/jardin-bagnaia_english.html

{{gwi:501935}}

This is Villa Massei, owned by an American couple who moved there from Boston in the 80's. They wrote a book about developing the garden "A Garden in Lucca". This was my favorite of all the gardens. http://www.agardeninlucca.com/thegardens.html

{{gwi:501937}}

The Garzoni gardens, probably the most ornate garden we saw. The parterres were filled with lemons and oranges (that's the yellow you see in the pictures) While a little weird, the smell was heavenly. http://grandigiardini.it/2005/eng/giardini/toscana/giardino_garzoni.htm

{{gwi:501939}}

Another view of Villa Lante

{{gwi:501941}}

The city of Assisi, the one St. Francis was known from. Again, little grown in the ground, most the flowers are in pots. (I never saw such happy geraniums as those on this trip).

{{gwi:501943}}

This is a summer palace and gardens of the Medici family of Florence, Villa Petraia. While a nice garden, what was especialy wonderful was the view of Florence that could be seen from this hilltop location. http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/petra.htm

{{gwi:501945}}

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

youreit
17 years ago
Wow!! What an incredible experience, Sue! I can't wait to check out the links you provided, as well, but your pictures are amazing, as though out of a magazine.

Brenda
nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10
17 years ago
Thanks for the pictures.

Would you be thinking of Iris Origo? I think she wrote several books about her life in Val D'Orcia. If I remember correctly, she lived in the area near Siena. However, I believe she was married to an Italian.

Considering that my father's parents were from Collodi, I've been very remiss in not visiting the Garzoni Villa. The last time we were there, the gardens were "in restauro". By the looks of your photos, they look much better than in past years when we would peak in, and then postpone a tour for another time.

We've never been to the Villa Massei, but several years ago a friend from Lucca took us to see Villa Bernardini, and another Villa near to it where an American writer lives (she wasn't home). I think they were south of Lucca, in the foothills. Last year, we finally visited the Villa Pfanner inside the walls of Lucca. Although not for me, I am beginning to appreciate how my grandparents' decorating and gardening taste and style were shaped - very formal. I would love to see Villa Massei.

Glad to see that you also went to Umbria, whose reputation is "greener and prettier than Tuscany", which I suppose the Tuscans dispute. LOL.
Related Discussions
Italian flavors in my garden
Q
Comments (23)
Ariel, thanks and I will be trying your salsa. I have made a lot of different tomato sauce but this one is preferred by me and the family. I have the book Small Batch Preserving and is very useful especially when I had a lot of fruit in previous gardens. After the sauce is done, I just put it in the freezer and take out when I need or I give as gifts, everybody like it! Sometimes I add red peppers flakes to taste. The only thing to remember if you freeze is to let it simmer for about 15 minutes to get the consistency desired after you take it out. The red wine that I use in the recipe is a Santa Rita Merlot that is a decent drinking wine for only $5 and I get it at Publix. Let us know if you make it and how you like it. I was just thinking this morning that I am going to try to get another recipe for tomato sauce from the chef, I really like his type of cooking! If I do, I will share it here. Elizabeth, my squash and green beans were looking ratty, so before the party I took them out, the ones in the picture are some of the last. I still have them in the fridge, but they won't last too long, that is the reason that I am cooking them now. I use all kinds of tomatoes for salsa or tomato sauce, even the ugly ones, I just use the good parts, they are very forgiving.:) In a sandwich or a salad have to have the best looking ones. The cherry are the best roasted in slow oven with thyme, salt and pepper, after the chef took them out he added a little bit of hot peppers, garlic sliced so thin, and such a big amount of herbs, for a moment he left the party and went to the garden to pick herbs, I was so afraid that he might find a snake, lol. Here is another salad that I improvise today with the beans and the roasted tomatoes. Silvia Here is a link that might be useful: chunky basil tomato sauce
...See More
pics from garden tour and my garden
Q
Comments (7)
Thanks all! I have to tell you a story about those fairy gardens. My garden club had a master gardener come give a talk on Fairy Gardens back in February. Some of us, including me, actually went out and planted them. I found a little gnome at Big Lots to put in mine since with me having three boys - I don't think they would appreciate the feminine touches of the girly fairies. The lady who did the ones in the photos above said she and her husband went on a mission looking for "fairy stuff" for their gardens. But, she said they didn't dare ask any of the clerks at the stores for "fairy stuff" since they were afraid they might get the wrong idea - especially her husband. I mean, can you imagine a guy going into a store asking where they keep their "fairy stuff"? :D
...See More
A tour of my citrus garden
Q
Comments (7)
Thanks guys! It's been neglected for a year as I've been trying to do a major renovation of our house by myself in my free time. That garden plot is right on the edge of suitable for citrus. I will need to try harder for winter protection from this year. The seasons are very timely here. It's what is known as Golden Week here in Japan, and all of the plants really start coming out May 1. Citrus does really well up until September. They could actually make it through the whole winter OK, but in February you'll get a few overcast days which means the nights will drop in temperature and most of the leaves will drop off of the trees. I imagine it must be hard for the trees to have to replace all those leaves the next year AND produce fruit. Perhaps that's why I'm not getting large crops of citrus so far.
...See More
A short tour of my garden from north to south
Q
Comments (22)
The answer to some questions: I am not gardening alone, my husband does more than his share of the work and spends more time in the garden than I. He spent years of his childhood in his grandparents' garden and as his grandmother was trained as a gardening teacher in Berlin, Germany in 1910 he imbued some of that style of gardening from her. The rose roundel is an homage to her. English visitors have called our garden English but it's really more traditional Swedish and German in style. More Karl Foerster than Gertrude Jekyll. Our garden is mature after 23 years and the majority of our roses are as old. We don't water established roses after their first year. We had no rain in April and May but got 50 millimeters in June (20 inches) but not a drop since then. Our heavy clay saves our plants and a high water table in places. We don't bother with the lawn that is getting brown by now but we spot water plants that seem on the brink to wither, phloxes, echinaceas, new plants, not whole beds. The vegetables come first. We saved rain water in June and this neutral water goes to the rhododendrons. Our water is cheap but we don't have the time or energy to water everything. We don't have water restrictions locally but everyone is encouraged to preserve water because half of the country has a shortage of water. Several areas not far from here but near the coast where people have their own wells have drinking water brought in by tanks because their water is brackish. The roses in the south walk are from the left: the pink Blush Boursault followed by the dark striped Commandant Beaurepaire with Tour de Malakoff opposite. Most roses there are supported by an iron tuteur or whatever it's called. We have them in several sizes. This is the smallest:
...See More
davissue_zone9
Original Author
17 years ago
Ah, you got it, that's who owned the garden. It was a very nice mix of formal and informal. Here's a few more pictures of it.

The flower border, with peonies in bloom
{{gwi:501947}}

Ancient wisteria pergola.
{{gwi:501950}}

Here is a link that might be useful: La Foce
nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10
17 years ago
Absolutely gorgeous.

Thank you for the link.

Your photos are beautiful!
davissue_zone9
Original Author
17 years ago
If I did this right, you should be able to see all my pictures by clicking on this link

Here is a link that might be useful: italy trip
nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10
17 years ago
Thank you for posting the photo album.

I see that you visited Villa Pfanner in Lucca too. We've seen it so many times from our walks on the walls, but only visited; i.e. paid euros, for the first time last year. (Not to sound as if we are world travelers - I have cousins living in Lucca.)

Did you happen to go to the Giardino Botanico as well? We've looked at it from the walls, and have never made it into the garden proper. Last year there was a photo exhibit in one of tunnels under the walls in that garden. We hoped to see it then, but they had closed off the garden because of the (free) exhibit.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures of Villa Garzoni. I didn't realize that the ruin on the hill was part of the estate. The view of the terrace with the circular fountains in the white gravel(?) looks as if it should be in Parco di Pinocchio - but different times and different tastes!

Thanks again.

Now I'm nostalgic for Lucca.
Mikey
17 years ago
Lucky you! Very nice gardens. I love the first photo, fit for a picturecard.
BecR
17 years ago
Davissue-- Oooh, I loved your pictures! Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics. I've been to Italy and Europe as a child & later as a newlywed and have fond memories of it. Time for a return trip...someday, I hope ;)
-Becky
jxa44
17 years ago
Great and beautiful pictures all -- just what I needed on this cold winter day!

My Italian Garden Tour

Comments (9)

youreit

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

Related Discussions

davissue_zone9
Original Author

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

davissue_zone9
Original Author

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

Mikey

BecR

jxa44

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

My Italian Garden Tour

Comments (9)

youreit

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

Related Discussions

davissue_zone9Original Author

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

davissue_zone9Original Author

nancy_in_venice_ca Sunset 24 z10

Mikey

BecR

jxa44

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

davissue_zone9
Original Author

davissue_zone9
Original Author