Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-07-16
THE POPE'S GARDEN.
A Charming Spot that is Inaccessible to the
World at Large.

Let me relate, says n Roman
correspondent, a visit to the Pope's
private garden, which is supposed
to be inaccessible to the outside
world. Its particular interest is in
the fact that for eight years the
Popes have not stepped out of the
Vatican Palace except to go into
this garden, and naturally it is
jealousy secluded from profane in
truders. However, we bribed the
officials and were let into the gar
den surreptitiously with permission
to remain an hour, and we improv-
ed the time to the utmost. Until
recently it has been only place o
stroll about on foot. But now the
Pope is having carriage road
made through it, and has just had
an elegant landau constructed in
Rome, with the papal escutcheon
upon it, especially to drive about
the garden in. The principal
avenues are bordered by fiat hedg-
es, and in passing along you get
glimrses, through green arches, OF
the sweetest little sylvan retreats
that you can imagine; birds sing
ing, fountains bubbling, light and
shade playing through the flicker
ing leaves, the air full of the scents
of orange blossoms and roses, shady
paths winding in and out, up and
down in the most 1iistracting way,
the ground covered with thick
mating of deep leaves, the accum-
ulation of years. Here an ancient
sarcophagus, with sculptured fig
ufes in relief. there u marble statue,
grey with age, and something in
expressively weird in the twilight
gloom, the solitude and air of neg
lect and decay. Again, you emerge
upon open, sunny spaces, and the
promenade skirts u quadrangular
space sunken fifteen to twenty feet,
with perpendicular walls, origiual-
ly, perhaps, the walls of some an
cient construction. This is laid out
in an immense flower garden, and
in the midst the gorgeous papal
monogram traced in living verdi
ure.
A pretty surprise was small
grotto in rockwork, representing
that of "Notre Dame de Lourdes,o
in which stood Il little fancy figure
of the Virgin, at her foot little
grating through which offerings
were dropped, and three tiny
streams of water flowing from the
words: "Drink and be healed.n OF
course tiny streams spout into
little basin, and above these we ap.
piled our mouths to the little
streams and drank the consecrated
water. We thought we had ex-
plored every nook and corner of
the garden, but had failed to find
the place we were especially in
search of, the famous Casino, where
Plus TX. used to sit on sunny days,
and which is said to be famous
resort of the present Pope for study
and writing. We met a servant
who went with us to show the
way, and gave US bouquet of ex-
Quisite damask roses. The casino
Is completely enclosed and hidden
by high hedges, entered by single
arch. Following a path through
shrubbery, we passed under
a deep stone arcway lined
with mosaics-three inches
each side filled with ancient stat
ues-and came upon small cir
cular esplanade with fine mosaic
pavement, enclosed by two semi
circular loggias or porticos support
ed by marble columns, the ceiling
and inside walls covered with beau
tiful hut faded frescoes and curious
mosaic and shell work, with inches
occupied by busts and statues. All
around was wilderness of flowers
and shrubbery, and close by the
great dome OF st. Peter filled in the
view. Finally, through a distant
arch, we saw vista of trees, and
following it up came out upon an
elevated tarrace, where, under the
shade of old trees covered with pUr-
pie blossoms, was large basin of
water upon which was man-Of-
war in bronze, eight or ten feet
long, the rigging complete, rows OF
cannons projecting from its sides,
the mariners at their post.
From this terrace was u view of
the city, the castle of st. Angelo
prominent in the foreground, ard
Monte Marie on the left, the Val
ley of the Tiber beneath, and the
Campagna stretching out to the
Alban range in the distance.
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