La
Foce - begun in 1924 by Cecil Pinsent for Count Antonio and
Countess Iris Origo on their estate in southern Tuscany.
|
New!
Great Italian Gardens
from Rome to Florence
23 April - 5 May 2014
Mid-spring
is the ideal season in which to view the splendid gardens
of central Italy, when famous pergolas covered with wisteria
are still in bloom, along with azaleas, peonies, and early
roses and rhododendron, enhancing the cypress, boxwood and
ilex "bones" of the Italian garden-and with
ginestra (broom) and wild flowers dotting the emerald
green countryside.
|
|
From the luxuriant foothills of the Monti Lepini,
south of Rome - where a romantic private garden surrounds
medieval ruins - to classic late Renaissance gardens on
the cypress-clad hills of Fiesole and Settignano above Florence,
enjoy 11 days exploring renowned gardens - both public
and private. The gardens we will visit have been carefully
selected to represent the development of Italian gardens
from the Roman Empire and the enclosed monastic herb and
vegetable gardens of the Middle Ages, to the park-like English
gardens that became popular in Italy in the early 19th century.
|
Villa
Lante - northern Lazio |
| Each
garden is different and each is spectacular! |
|
Wisteria and peonies in late April in a unique garden
in northern
Lazio - ancient "Tuscia" - north of Rome.
|
During the course of our itinerary - planned meticulously
in order to include gardens with very limited accessibility
- we'll feast our eyes on an enormous variety of trees,
shrubs, and perennials, some of which are at their most
beautiful only at the end of April and the beginning of
May.
During
this brief and glorious period, flowering shrubs, trees
and vines burst into bloom like jewels set against a green
backdrop-which is all that the visitor can expect to see
during the rest of the year-of cypress, ilex (holly),
boxwood, umbrella pines and other majestic trees.
|
|
We'll
gather, on Wednesday, April 23, at our superbly located
first-class hotel in the historic center of Rome,
near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. (Please
be sure to schedule your departure from the USA no later
than Tuesday, April 22!)
The
"city of seven hills" is exceptional in the number
of gardens that grace its historic center. Many are hidden,
behind walls, and require special arrangements for visiting
them. Even many of the gardens open to the public are practically
unknown to most visitors! During our three-night stay in
"the Eternal City", a private tour of the Giardini
Vaticani is planned, to begin our exploration
of central Italy's great historic gardens. Other visits
- by special arrangement - also are in the works, including
a privately-owned garden on the Pincio Hill, arguably
the best preserved Roman Renaissance garden in the city,
and dinner in a private home.
|
|
South
of Rome, we'll enjoy, by special appointment, a private tour -
just for our group! - of the extraordinary Giardino di Ninfa,
created in the romantic "English style" in the 1920s
by an aristocratic family that has owned the estate since 1298!
The medieval borgo - village - of Ninfa, around which the
garden was designed, dates back to the 8th century; it was attacked
several times, destroyed almost entirely in 1382, and finally
abandoned by its inhabitants in 1680. This unique garden is at
its most enchanting in spring, when blossoming fruit trees embellish
the medieval ruins and wild iris carpet the grassy areas along
the garden's river and several rivulets.
|
Late
Renaissance garden pool north of Rome inspired
by the Villa d'Este.
|
Of
course, not to be missed are two historic gardens
at Tivoli: the park that surrounds the remains
of Hadrian's Villa, the largest and richest Imperial
villa of the Roman Empire; and the celebrated series of
terraces of the Villa d'Este, created at
great expense - and with the plundering of Hadrian's Villa
- by Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este (the son of Lucrezia
Borgia) in the second half of the 16th century.
A
great variety of trees and shrubs were added in the early
17th century, along with more sculpture. Today luxuriant
ferns flourish throughout this still-amazing fantasy of
water and light.
Villa
d'Este introduced the concept of cascades to Italian
garden design - as we will note in other destinations
on our itinerary - and is famous for its incredible system
of fountains, enhanced by pools and grottoes, which became
the rage in Italian gardens beginning in the Late Renaissance.
|
|
North of Rome, in ancient Tuscia, the land
of the Etruscans, wealthy Cardinals built magnificent
hillside retreats overlooking a benevolent countryside
of fertile fields, bubbling mineral water springs, and lakes
formed by extinct volcanoes.
We
will spend two nights here, in a charming hill town dating
back to the Etruscans, enabling us to enjoy unrushed visits
to two extraordinary gardens, created for Cardinals of the
Roman Catholic Church in the late 16th and early 17th centuries
and now the property of the Italian government—and
lovely in spring when the azaleas are in bloom in the light
shade of towering woods that line the path up to the "secret
garden" of one Cardinal's estate.
Here,
too, we'll find an unusual botanical garden, filled
with peonies exploding in color in late April! Other
special visits are "on the drawing board" for
this portion of the trip.
|
Peonies north of Rome in late April. |
 |
Just
across the western end of the former northern border of the
so-called "Papal States", is the starkly beautiful
Val d'Orcia, in southern Tuscany.
In
spring, its familiar autumnal tawny rolling fields are emerald
green and dotted with colorful wild flowers. It is hard
to believe that much of this serene countryside lay fallow
and in ruins in 1924, when Count Antonio Origo, and his
bride, Anglo-American writer Iris Cutting Origo, began the
restoration of these agricultural lands belonging to their
newly-acquired vast estate,
La Foce.
|
|
While
Antonio focused on the reclamation and improvement of the
many tenant farms on the estate, Iris, with the help of
brilliant English landscape architect Cecil Pinsent
- who had, for her mother, restored the gardens at the Villa
Medici in Fiesole, where Iris grew up - over the course
of several years developed one of the most beautiful
gardens in Italy, still the property of the Origo family.
|
One
of the gardens of La Foce, in southern Tuscany. |
|
Historical
gardens in Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia
will round out our stay in the bucolic Val d'Orcia,
designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO several years
ago because, fundamentally, it is little changed from its
appearance hundreds of years ago. We'll spend two nights
here, in an inviting countryside inn overlooking the Orcia
River, just below warm mineral springs that have given relief
to aching muscles and joints since Roman times!
|
|
|
Private
wine estate garden in the Chianti Hills, between the
Val d'Orcia and Florence.
|
En
route to Florence, we'll celebrate May Day high in the Chianti
Hills, with a visit to another private estate,
which, until the early 19th century, was a monastery and
now is the country home of a family that has been producing
fine wines there for several generations. The walled garden
of the residence and cloister recalls the design and utilitarian
function of the medieval garden, with its medicinal herbs,
vegetables and fruit trees-all the while looking ahead to
the early Renaissance geometric garden, with a central axis,
reflecting the new philosophy of humanism. Here, we'll also
enjoy a special luncheon and taste some fine wines!
|
|
During
our four-night stay in Tuscany's capital city,
we will take in a several historic gardens in Florence,
Fiesole, and Settignano.
Some
of our visits will be to privately owned gardens, by special
appointment; others will be to historic gardens that are
open to the public, including one, only recently restored,
with splendid views over the Arno and Firenze.
There
also will be time for individual pursuits-and just about
everything in Florence is within easy walking distance of
our hotel!
Our
singular travel adventure will conclude on the morning of
Monday, May 5, after breakfast. (To facilitate a great
variety of air travel preferences, including departure city,
carrier, class of seating and scheduling, there will be individual
arrivals at our hotel in Rome and individual departures from
our hotel in Florence.) |
Villa La Pietra - Fiesole |
 |
This once-in-a-lifetime trip would be difficult, if not
impossible, for you to accomplish on your own: the scheduling
and logistics alone are daunting, let alone the challenge
of driving on narrow, winding roads and parking in medieval
towns.
Let
someone else worry about the details while you enjoy
the glorious gardens and panoramic views!
Of
course, our unique itinerary will be enhanced by delicious
meals-an aspect of travel that past Travel Designs tour
participants already know is very important! There
also will be opportunities for you to explore on your own
the wide range of dining experiences that central Italy
has to offer.
|
Detailed
tour information,
including per person cost for this specially-designed small
group tour, will be available later in the autumn: To have
your name put on the list to receive it, please contact
us by e-mail at info@travel-design.com
or telephone us at 607-587-8324. Please be sure to
include your current USPS address in your e-mail message!
Group
size will be limited to ensure an enjoyable travel experience
of the highest quality. If you would like to reserve
your space(s) NOW, we invite you to take advantage of Travel
Designs' completely refundable, "save-a-space"
preliminary deposit system: Just send a check in
the amount of $100 per person to:
Travel Designs
P. O. Box 782
Alfred, NY 14802
Please
be sure to indicate that it is for the "Great Italian
Gardens" tour. This preliminary deposit will hold
your space(s) until the detailed tour information can be
made available and it will be deducted from the amount of
the total deposit for the trip.
|
|
|
