New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-06
THE VILLA LANTE.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE LOvEI.IESr Can
DEN IN ITALY HISTORICAL. NOTEs

les the httle hillSet city OF EiterbO. one OF m.
NEST picturesque and sympathetic towns /,
| italy, and famous for its mary fountains ass
the remains Of its beautiful Romanesque ARCH
lecture.
Some eight or ten kilometres from viterbo "a
Bagnaia. whose purple roofs cluster abou, ~
gates OF the villa Lante which contains ~.
Of the loveiest Of the italian formal garden,
! Coming into the town. the carriage crosses H.
tie rayine over bridge that leads one direct,
into the plaZZo. on the left Is the Munlciulo
inclosing i'm a curious fashion an Interesting II.
! tie villa within its walls. this is evidently hs
nucleus Of the town which. Overflc wing the.
narrow limits. has crept up the hillside to d.
/ Villa. the entrance TO which is approached
/ through a narrow street apparently laid o.,
purposey at an angle to the main axis OF N.
gardens-for it is not until half u the eleven
| steps at the gate have been climbed that III
view is presented u the visitor. with a sudden.
ness that makes him feel the surprise in.en.
tiOnal.
First lies the level flower garden with IN
! great fountain in the centre further back The
! ramps between the payilions. and then n.
other terraces. rising To whore tiny leapins
| thread Of water shows white against the woods
! And the levels are so well arranged that al
the intervening basins and fountains can be SEQ,
from the gates framed between the black fgurs
that crown the lowest. The terraces are artla-
cal and are built upon the original grade in.
stead OF being excayated from the hillside 50
| that the gardens dominate the park AZ amos,
every point, touching the general slope only a,
the upper sides The pavilions the rght-hani
guests. are entered from the lcyc. u the frs,
terrace; opposite the entrances u the payilions
In the retaining wall Of the next terrace are
grottos with figures in stucco. The loggias 10
the Easements that front the flower garden have
| on their vaults curious paintings IN perspective
now partially Obliterated.
The villa belonged originally 10 the Bishops q
Niterbo. Cardinal Riari0 began In li11 10 en-
bellish il, and this work continued under RI
coli fifth Cardinal Bishop. His SUCCESSOR Qua
teri however could not support the expenses
Of the property and Leased the house and gar.
dens for long term. Toward the year lJG
Clio Francesca Gumbara. sixth Cardinal Bishop
completed the unfinished work TIE place
assed into the hands Of the Popes. Cardinal
Ieretti or Montalto. nephew of Slxtus v be-
| coming its proprietor about 1855. He built the
second casino Finally Alexander VII coded the
villa 70 Duke BommarZo. Of the Lante family.
| whose descendants. with great good nature and
| charming courtesy. admit foreign visitors a.
any time. and the tOwnspeople are given The
freedom Of the grounds on feast days
| Ny first visit CHANGED to be Sunday Ia
January. and there were many contadini In
| their holiday dress strolling about ard giving
the place the note Of vivid color it needed for
| January is a sober month in Italy The beauty
Of the villa and its value as a study Of the Itai.
| ian garden in it's best estate so impressed me
| that determined to return in the summer and
| make the drawings 10 which these notes serve
| as an accompaniment The formal portion
| seemed to be very valuable indication Of
| what might be done with a comparatively small
| area Of gently soping land. This part is beau.
| tifully kept up with just the right note. being
neither pript nor neglected that j; possesses
the peculiar charm OF old places stii in daily
| and familiar use.
The villa dEste with which this villa nigh,
be contrasted equally beautiful in It's own way,
| has been suffered to run wild-the trees and
| shrubs overhang and partially obStrIct the
| paths. and the roses are lost In the high grass
| 1t is wonderfully lovely. but very m, anchoy.
and yet one would hardly wish il Otherwise. il
logically enough: but logic IS swept away in I
review Of ones impressions of these Old World
gardens. Nevertheless. one is glad that there Is
| villa 10 be studied where he may see what Q
| place properly taken care OF may be.
! But my choice pitched upon the garden q The
| Lante rather than upon the one in Tlyo. be-
| cause the latter lying upon exceedingly steep
| hillside. has less bearing than the other upon
ordinary problems Of this kind. The slopes upon
which the formal garden ~ the villa Lante
! built are much more gentle and the supply OF
water feeding the fountains IS much Joss gener.
GUS The architect Of the Villa Este levied
upon one Of the many torrents that tear theR
way through the hills of Tvoli But az Bagnais
the clever way in which stream but ten inches
wide and four deep. moving at fairly RAPID
rate can be distributed and used for its utmost
effect is very instructive. The water i brought
from the hills over little Vaduct and falls In &
cascade into the semi-crcular recess between the
two little summer houses the upperrnost
l,Nel 1t then rises into the fountain set within
the high octagOHal Enclosure ~ clipped box
This fountain Is skilfully Contrved with sraN
basins that serve reservoirs To restore some
OF the head. From here il Is led underground
some feet and gusheS out again TO race down .
curious conduit made To simulate a strange kind
Of crawfsh. n she'll held between the fore
claws Of the monster in another waterfall &c
semi-circuiar basin where two colossal water der
ties recline. Formerly the basin rim and the
balustrades and staircase ramps AZ his poins
had jets and spouts OF water and must have
been most effective. but these are now disused
The tops ~ the balustrades are hollow I'd into
ConduitS and the pcdestals into reservoirs fof
th,e MOI his on fhR I'm he ~
basin Is another reservoir some hftv feet long.
into which the water rises again and gathers
read for the next fOuntain--a charming one en-
Cular I'm plan. in two levels. 50 that the lo~H