DOI Kapitel:
I. Florentine villas
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61216#0045
ITALIAN VILLAS
the new fashion early in the nineteenth century, as is
shown—to give but one instance — in the vast Torri-
giani gardens, near the Porta Romana, laid out by the
Marchese Torrigiani about 1830 in the most approved
“landscape" style, with an almost complete neglect of
the characteristic Tuscan vegetation and a correspond-
ing disregard of Italian climate and habits. The large
English colony has, however, undoubtedly done much
to encourage, even in the present day, the alteration of
the old gardens and the introduction of alien vegetation
in those which have been partly preserved. It is, for
instance, typical of the old Tuscan villa that the farm,
or podere, should come up to the edge of the terrace on
which the house stands; but in most cases where old
villas have been bought by foreigners, the vineyards
and olive-orchards near the house have been turned
into lawns dotted with plantations of exotic trees.
Under these circumstances it is not surprising that but
few unaltered gardens are to be found near Florence.
To learn what the old Tuscan garden was, one must
search the environs of the smaller towns, and there are
more interesting examples about Siena than in the whole
circuit of the Florentine hills.
The old Italian architects distinguished two classes
of country houses: the villa suburbana, or maison de
plaisance (literally the pleasure-house), standing within
or just without the city walls, surrounded by pleasure-
grounds and built for a few weeks’ residence; and the
2 2
the new fashion early in the nineteenth century, as is
shown—to give but one instance — in the vast Torri-
giani gardens, near the Porta Romana, laid out by the
Marchese Torrigiani about 1830 in the most approved
“landscape" style, with an almost complete neglect of
the characteristic Tuscan vegetation and a correspond-
ing disregard of Italian climate and habits. The large
English colony has, however, undoubtedly done much
to encourage, even in the present day, the alteration of
the old gardens and the introduction of alien vegetation
in those which have been partly preserved. It is, for
instance, typical of the old Tuscan villa that the farm,
or podere, should come up to the edge of the terrace on
which the house stands; but in most cases where old
villas have been bought by foreigners, the vineyards
and olive-orchards near the house have been turned
into lawns dotted with plantations of exotic trees.
Under these circumstances it is not surprising that but
few unaltered gardens are to be found near Florence.
To learn what the old Tuscan garden was, one must
search the environs of the smaller towns, and there are
more interesting examples about Siena than in the whole
circuit of the Florentine hills.
The old Italian architects distinguished two classes
of country houses: the villa suburbana, or maison de
plaisance (literally the pleasure-house), standing within
or just without the city walls, surrounded by pleasure-
grounds and built for a few weeks’ residence; and the
2 2