OHer visit to Villa Lante, one of the big gardens in the world, was almost no visit at all. We had driven the short route from the small Italian medieval city of Viterbo to the equally medieval village of Bagnaia. We found the small parking lot without too much effort and we four appeared, ready to act.
But where was Villa Lante? We searched for a sign. Nothing. We went quickly from one side of the parking lot to the other. No smarter. In this way I and the thrown that there would be something (even an arrow) to lead us to this late Renaissance masterpiece. This was a few years ago and we had phones, but no reception. In what Show the smarter members of our party (as you often do) that the only answer to our dilemma was lunch.
It was a pretty early lunch and just when I thought we could go crazy, a group of English garden lovers arrived in the café. (You can recognize them a mile away, starting with their headgear.) In the meantime, I was decided to get to Villa Lante when I had to dig there. As it was, no spade was required, but it was still not entirely clear. We went up the hill up to a gate. Inside there was a stand that looked unmanned and how I remember, a “café” that consisted of a machine.
The scrolled hedges of the Villa Lante
Getty pictures
After all, we managed to buy tickets for a few euros each. There was no garden plan or a travel guide in any language. I felt almost naked when I entered the garden without an actual material being at hand. We were more or less alone (not surprising) and probably a little full. We dived and drunk hours later with the atmosphere, which was both romantic and geometrically precise. It is not a show-off that, like the monumental garden that is Villa d'Este, and it feels personally to be discovered.
The garden comes from 1566, when the newly appointed Bishop of Viterbo, Cardinal Gambara, commissioned the renowned architect Jacopo Barozzi, known as Da Vignola. He converted the “simple” hunting system into a beauty that has been pretty much left over the years. The garden is 44 hectares or 18 hectares, built on a gentle slope of the Cimini mountains. It is not steep and the feeling of symmetry is provided by its geometry: the central axis leads directly through a series of terraces, where water is captured in different fountains, pools, cascades and rills.
There is almost no planting or color, except for the green of the well -circumcised and abundant protection as well as many trees, including the ripe Holm oak. The overwhelming feeling of the unit results from the reserved planting, with its adjacent forest feeling and the use of water, which are too quiet from wobbling and everything in between, all in the dark local stone, pepperino.
A theater fountain with the river god Flankin
Frank Bienewald/Light dryet/Getty Images
The aqueous theater strips begin with the fountain of the flood grotto: the walls here are uneven, the statues are equally rough and almost pagan. When the water goes down the slope, the fountains and statues become more sophisticated and peaks on the ground with a refined ground floor and fountain and a heart of perfectly proportioned male statues (Calvin Klein -Ad material, women).
We started down and opened and took off the spirit of the place, which manages to combine a feeling of the perfect order with that of something unknown. We spent most of the time in the “Table” section in the middle table. Here is a remarkable “water chain” water that falls down a channel that is characterized by stone cancer claws (the name Gambara is located near the Italian for cruise cancer). It feeds on a large stone table with a central “channel” or a groove, all the better to cool your wine and fruit. This is internally/outdoor food on a really big style. Oh, sitting here at this table, on a dark early summer evening, the delicious food and drink was served while the water sparkled and the trees whispered over it. All irritation of the day melted away when we sat and introduced ourselves to our absolutely fabulous dinner party.
The Villa Lante is 80 km north of Rome. It belongs to the Italian state. The entry is € 8 (£ 6.50).
A list like no other: Nowadays there are countless lists of “best gardens in the world”, but for all of us there are some that are something special. For me, Villa Lante is one – a gardener garden that designs flawlessly, but also has this magical spirit. This is not a list that Google or actually AI could generate. I will occasionally write about gardens that I find extraordinary. I am interested in hearing from you what your biggest gardens are.