projecting into the lake and its back built against the almost wooded cliff which it from the southern sun down this cliff a foaming mountain torrent from the di just beneath the peak of and this torrent the of the villa has captured in its descent to the lake and carried through the central apartment of the villa the effect produced is unlike anything else even in the of italian gardens the two wings of the house a plain and somewhat melancholy looking structure are joined by an open room against the back wall of which the torrent down over tremulous with moss and out again beneath the of the where it makes a great of glittering whiteness in the dark green waters of the lake the old house is with the freshness and with the flying spray of the torrent the bare rooms with it the stone floors are green with its the air with its cool incessant rush the contrast of this dusky dripping on its perpetually shaded bay with the blazing blue waters of the lake and their sun western shores is one of the most wonderful effects in sensation that the italian villa art has ever devised the not satisfied with a part of the torrent to cool his house has led the rest in a fall down the cliff immediately adjoining the villa and has designed winding paths through the woods from which one may look down on the bright rush of the waters on the other side of the house lies a long terrace between the lake and the hanging woods and here on the only bit of open and level ground near the house are the old formal gardens now much neglected but still full of a melancholy charm after the villa the other gardens of seem almost commonplace all along both shores are which amid many alterations have preserved traces of their old garden architecture such as the bishop of s villa south of with its saints and perched along the garden italian trade and the more famous villa at where the fine and the treatment of the bear witness to the former beauty of the grounds but almost everywhere the old garden magic has been driven out by a fury of modern the have made way for dotted with palms and the have been replaced by star shaped beds of and and the groves of laurel and by of grass and this description applies to all the principal gardens between and here and there indeed in almost all of them some undisturbed corner remains � a flight of steps in roses and descending to a shady water gate a with a pan or a laurel walk set with marble benches or a classic summer house above the lake � but these old bits are so scattered and under the new order of that it requires an effort of the imagination to from them an image of what the old lake gardens must have been before every rich proprietor tried to convert his marble into an english park almost to be included among lake is the beautiful villa at this charming old place lies in the lovely but little known hill country between the lake of and the southern end of the house of which the history appears to be unknown to the present owners is an early building of great beauty with a touch of in its design the plain front with deep projecting and widely windows might stand on some village square above the and the interior court with its two in purity and lightness of design the of s tradition so few country houses of the early sixteenth century are to be found in the that it would be instructive to learn whether the villa is in fact due to a hand or whether this mid italian style was at that time also in the villa is built against a and the interior court forms an enclosed on three sides by the house and continued on the fourth by a beautiful sunken garden above which runs a walk on a level with the upper story on the other side of the house is another garden consisting of a long terrace bounded by a high retaining wall which is down its whole length to form a shady walk lined with and dripping with of water at the back of the house the ground continues to rise and a d is built against the while beyond the terrace garden already described a gate leads to a hanging with shady walks from which at every turn there are views across the southern bay of lake the house itself is as interesting as the garden the italian walls of the court are in charming designs and the ceiling of the is painted in delicate work somewhat in the manner of the at the villa di papa several of the rooms also preserve their wall and much of their furniture while a series of smaller apartments on the ground floor are exquisitely decorated with ornament in the light style of the century so that the villa still gives a vivid idea of what an old italian country house must have been in its original state from the hill of the lakes to the country places of the rice fields the descent is somewhat abrupt but the student of garden architecture may the transition by carrying on his from the southern end of through the smiling landscape of the here there are many old in a lovely setting of and with distant views of the and of the sunny plain but of old gardens few are to be found there is one of great beauty belonging to the villa near the village of but as it is inaccessible to visitors only glimpses may be obtained of its statues and its walks and towering not far from is the now the property of the d and 