St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-11-21
AN ITALIAN VILLA.
oueen margherita's Prospective Home

Villa Malta, which is announced as the
prospective home of the Dowager Queen
Margherita. where she will probably
soend the greater part of each year, was
originally a possession OF the royal
family of Bavaria. 1t has been trans
formed and beauti6ed by the taste and
lavish expenditure of a Russian noble
man, and no one who has not bad the
privilege of seeing more of the Villa Malta
Than is visible through the secluded en-
trance in the Via Porta Pinciana can i'm
imagine it's extent, completeness and
beauty.
The grounds are entirely sheltered from
public view by high, ivy covered walls
and by hedges OF roses. Yet from ter
races built on each floor all around the
house, and still more from the tower, the
whole Of Rome, the whole Of the Cam
MAGMA, the Albine and Sabine Hills, and
even the sea, are visible. The gardens,
nearly three acres in extent, are planted
with gigantic palms, bamboos, orange
and mandarin trees, but their chief tea-
ture is the profusion OF climbing roses, OF
which there are more than fifteen humid
RED VdT1tll Az CNC' y dh6lN W LIN 'l''et
large pillars of climbing roses ascend
around an iron support to the root.
From the month of MAY until the mid
die OF July the WI ole place is a centre OF
color and fragrance.
At the entrance stands porter's lodge
from which a circuitous carriage drive
leads under palm, orange and pome'
grauate trees to the chief gate. This
opens into a comparatively narrow en-
trance hall from which massive mar
BILE doorway leads into a huge hall. some
what similar in shape and style to those
existing in English Ehzabethan houses
But no manor house possesses such
mantlepiece in massive sculptured mar
BILE as the one which Count Boorluskl
the former owner, transported from tn
Palazzo. Altemps and placed to the let
of the doorway.
The floor repeats in polished marble
the scheme of the Italian Renassanc
ceiling, which possesses the popularity Q
being adjustable to any height preferre'
by the occupant OF the villa, an ingenlou
mechanism in the tower allowing it
be raised or lowered at will.
opposite tue uooi way e's''iNS''
English design and construction, mad
of solid polished walnut, starts and run
at right angles round part of the ha
to the gallery above. The space undt
the staircase is filled with old Dutch an
Italian cabinets in perfect preservation
containing choice collections of old Ma
kin blue and Delft ware.
Annie divans covered with rich stui
and Oriental carpets fill the spaces 2
tween the cabinets. A few choice p'
lures by old masters, inlaid tables al
furniture OF various designs complete t
decoration of the hall, which is hight
by wide bay windows looking iowa
the garden.
Above the hall is a gallery richly 1t
nished, and to the right lies room hui
in old red damask and decorated with
striking collection of Oriental weaPo
and with bookcases, mostly OF old Fle
entine workmanship. To the lett is
gun room, hung with chintz and dec
rated with old English prints. Beyol
the gun room stretches vast salon.
which each piece of furniture is in itsel
work of art. The chimney piece, in sculI
ured marble, is reproduction OF the
nous original in the Doge's Palace
Venice.
A word must be said of the dint
room, which overlooks the man
trance to the villa The spaces betwe
the wall paneling and the ceiling E
hung with tan colored pig skin, on VIII
are fixed choice plates of Hispano MO-
ish and Oriental manufacture. The c.
ing terminates in a frieze inla'd W
plates OF old blue Nankin. The Hoo
throughout the villa, when not OF m
BILE, are made of majolica tiles of varie
designs.