To many of us, the great gardens of Italy seem like paradise on earth. But how much do we know of their history, and the people who created them? In this ravishing new book, illustrated with contemporary paintings, drawings and prints as well as photographs of the gardens today, Helena Attlee tells their story. She starts with Petrarch - still looking to medieval chronicles for advice on how and when to plant - and goes on to the Renaissance and those first gardens to emerge from architects' plans. Then she describes the great gardens of the Medici; the first botanic gardens; the weird Mannerist gardens and their grottoes followed by the Baroque splendour of Isola Bella and the Villa Aldobrandini; the Neoclassical and Picturesque gardens of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and how, in the twentieth century, expatriates with money to lavish on their villas and gardens brought new delights.

About the Author

Helena Attlee is an author and journalist who has made the garden and its history her special subject. Her books include The Gardens of Portugal Italian Gardens: A Cultural History and Gardens of Wales (all publishd by Frances Lincoln). She lectures widely, writes for a wide range of journals and magazines, and leads specialist garden tours. She lives in Presteigne, Powys, with her husband, the photographer Alex Ramsay. Alex Ramsay is well known as an award-winning photographer of architecture, gardens and landscapes. His work has appeared in leading magazines worldwide and illustrates many books including Helena Attlee's Italian Gardens: A Cultural History and Gardens of Wales. To visit Alex Ramsay's website click here

Reviews

A fascinating account of the development of Italian horticulture from the late middle ages to the present day. Brilliantly illustrated. Art Book One of the best, if not the best to date ... unusually luxurious to handle ... this book is an essential read for any garden lover and should inspire an appreciation of gardens as an important part of Italian culture. -- Judith Tankard Hortus Ms Attlee's breadth of research is impressive and she's adept at tying gardens and horticulture into the wider world of Renaissance and Baroque learning, taste, literature and visual arts. Stunning modern photographs by Alex Ramsay are interspersed with high quality reproductions of contemporary paintings, sculptures and books. Historic Gardens Review