We will be in Rome for 6 days, a day/night in Asissi, a day/night in Sienna, outside Florence, near Fiesole for a week, and five days in Venice. I have the art and history sights pretty much nailed down, but would like to visit at least three gardens. Which are the don't miss in these areas?
Thanks,
Jane

Tivoli and the Vatican Gardens in the Rome area for sure.

Thanks, NeoPatrick.

Janiculum Hill has a nice garden and is a very interesting "stop".Lots of history.agreat place for a picnic.

Hi Jane,

I totally agree with NeoPatrick, with 6 days, go see the Villa d'Este in Tivoli. The gardens and fountains are a delight - the best I've seen in Italy in 3 trips. Just what you expect an Italian Rennaisance (SP?) Garden to be.

I was disappointed in the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace. Maybe I was expecting flowers.

I also very much enjoy the Borghese Gardens in Rome!

Buon viaggio!

Article about Gardens of Florence:
http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=79

Hope it helps.

In Rome, there is a Botanical Gardens just below Piazza Girabaldi on Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo in Italian) on Via Corsini. It's only 4 euro for the entry. It's quiet and cool and makes for nice strolling. You get a spectacular view from there and especially from the Piazza above it at the top of the hill.

The other gardens/park is often referred to as Borghese Park but it's name is Pincio Gardens. We had a great walk from the Piazza del Poppolo you can climb up the switch backs to a great view. Then start walking through the massive park with towering trees, lakes and fountains. There are joggers, skaters and people laying on lush lawns with a picnic. The pedestrian streets are very wide and you can walk all the way to Villa Borghese. This area turned out to be my most favorite place in Rome.

Have a wonderful time.

Outside Florence Villa Gamberaia is the most charming. There are others such as Villa di Castello/Villa della Petraia (neighbours) which are open to the public and Villa Medici in Fiesole which requires an appointment.
Near Lucca Villa Reale at Marlia and Villa Torrigiani are worth visiting on a daytrip.

Villa Lante and Bormarzo are in the Viterbo area and are accessible from Rome or even from the north if you are driving. We drove down from Cortona to visit them. Villa Lante is the apex of Italian Renaissance/Baroque gardens.
Villa d'Este is a definite must see from Rome.

All of these gardens are the recognized highlights of Italian villa/garden design. If you want to evaluate more choices "The Garden Lovers Guide to Italy" by Penelope Hobhouse is a good if somewhat dated reference. Many of these gardens have websites that may offer more updated hours and details.

I was disappointed in the Vatican Garden tour especially after all the hassle of getting a reservation and the tour is the only access. I would have preferred to wander on my own and the gardens are not so significant from a garden design point of view. It is a good botanical collection of the more tender plant species. The Borghese and botanical gardens are nice walks but don't offer much in the way of garden architectural history.

In general Italian gardens don't emphasize bloom. We found most flowers to be potted or in the cemeteries.

The essence of Italian garden design is found in the formal architectural arrangement of 'rooms' and terraces and their fit to the landscape in an integrated language of villa/garden design themes.
This is achieved with formal hedging, stone walls and stairways, and sculptural niches, focal points and avenues. And water always plays a significant role.
There is usually a symbolic iconography often relating to classical mythology which underscores the layout and the sequence of garden events. Bormarzo: Sacro Bosco is a bizzare extreme example of a somewhat obscure but captivating play of symbol and surrealism.

Here are two of the gardens I have visited:

La Foce in Val d' Orcia
and outside of Volterra
http://www.venzanogardens.com/venzano/main3.asp

There is a book that has the public gardens of Italy which you can visit. If I can find mine I will give you the name, but if you are in the area, these two are excellent.

Anyone with an interest in gardens should visit the first website that follows. It is the most comprehensive website I've found and I'd add it to my favorites for future use.

http://www.gardenvisit.com/

These two addresses are from the same website but devoted solely to Italian gardens. Hope you find them useful.

http://www.gardenvisit.com/m/it.htm

http://www.gardenvisit.com/m/garden-...dexs/Italy.htm

Wow, what a web site!! Thanks!

Gardens obviously depend very much on season. You will find many flowers in the spring, less in other seasons.

The Boboli gardens in Florence are great in the spring. I was also disappointed when I first visited there in August. The gardens are built like an array of rooms, each one with a different design. Unfortunately, the "main room", that is the large part of the garden you see when you enter, is large and a little boring. In the heat of August we didnt bother to walk around and find the other parts of the garden that are charming.

It is worth to go all the way to the end of the gardens and up the stairs both for the view and the garden.

Rachel,
www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany.com

Tivoli and the Quirinale in the Rome area.

Has anyone here visited I Tatti and/or its gardens? (Outside Florence).

TuscanDreamin,
Thanks for the explanation on the Boboli Gardens. My visit was at end of March so I guess I was a little early for Spring flowers!

Villa I Tatti was lived in and developed by Bernard Berenson from 1900 to 1959,and is now owned by Harvard. Visits by appointment only.
Would be very worth gaining admission as it not only is a good example of the late Renaissance mode but also underwent an interesting and important restoration and renovation in the Arts and Crafts/Edwardian era that brought a new interest and appreciation of this style. It was was a seminal influence on or inspiration (along with Villa Gamberaia and Villa La Pietra) to the estate gardens designed by Harold Peto, Edwin Lutyens and Geoffrey Jellicoe in Britain and by Beatrix Farrand, George Platt and particularly Ferruccio Vitale in the US.
I'm not sure if one must present scholarly credentials to visit this garden but I will surely make an effort in any next trip to Florence. From the website:
"Since it is an active research center and not a museum, Villa I Tatti is not open to the general public. It is, however, possible for scholars, students, Harvard alumni, and other persons with ties to Harvard or with a special interest in the Renaissance to arrange a visit upon request."
http://www.itatti.it/

Thanks, Normano. I have not visited I Tatti but will give it a try next time; was curious because I have not read anything on Fodor's about either the house or the gardens....

hi, jane,

here's another vote for the villa d'este, and another thumbs down for the bobolli. we went to the former in april - lovely - and the latter in october - dire!

Penelope hobhouse's book is very good, though lots of the gardens she mentions are in fact private!

regards, ann

Wow! You folks are fabulous. Thank you all for suggestions, websites, book references, etc. I found the Hobhouse book. I'll definitly see the Tivoli, will visit the Borghese and the Biboli as I am already visiting the museum and the Pitti Palace.
It seems as though there is no way to only see three more, I may have to give up my afternoon naps to fit in more gardens without giving up any art. What a wonderful problem to have!
Thanks, again,
Jane