Title: Il paradiso de' fiori, overo Lo archetipo de' giardini
Description: "[B]ooklet on the Giusti Gardens by the Italian doctor, philosopher and Marinist poet from Verona, Francesco Pona (1595-1655), whose works ranged from scientific treatises to poetry and plays and who was also head gardener to the Giusti family. Their garden is considered one of the finest examples of an Italian garden. The booklet, Il paradiso de' Fiori, a poem and a list of plants, informs about the plants used in the time of Giardino Giusti. "The small volume ... is particularly valuable on the introduction of exotic plants into the region, in particular the highly prized bulbous plants from the Eastern Mediterranean countries with which Venice had always enjoyed intensive commercial relations, and which, owing to the occupation of Cyprus and other strategic bases, had not been interrupted after the Turkish conquest of Constantinople." [(]John Dixon Hunt. The Italian Garden, pp. 100). "Pona describes the [Giusti] garden at the height of its glory, a house and garden 'so important that it became known by the name of that branch of the family.' He described the many statues of ancient deities and heroes, the magnificent cypress trees, the lawns, the citrus trees, the flowers and hedges. There were also huge mirrrors to trick the spectator into believing spectators were approaching him, when these were in fact only his own reflections. In the grotto there were artificial representations of shells, coral and mother-of-pearl; elsewhere there were mosaics, fountains, and other water features. As Pona climbed to the Loggia on the hill behind, he described the wonderful view over the city, the River Adige, and the surrounding country as far as the town of Mantua." (Caroline Webb. Visitors to Verona, pp. 144). Sketches for flowerbeds including anemones, tulips and hyacinths and a sketchy Garden or Plant notebook of 1619-1620 survived the archive [original notebook and 530sketches in Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence, Italy, Ashb. 380]. The Italian Renaissance gardens of the Giusti's were planted in 1580 and are regarded as some of the most beautiful Renaissance gardens in Europe, a splendid park of terraces climbing upon the hill. They include a parterre and hedge maze, and expansive vistas of the surrounding landscape from the terrace gardens."--bookseller Antiquariat Michael Kühn datasheet.
Subjects: Flowers, History, Early works to 1800, Plants, Ornamental Plants, Renaissance Gardens, Gardens
Places: Italy, Verona