Italian gardens

I came across a book at the public library the other day which so
impressed me that I thought others might to look out for it.
The title is Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens, by Vivian Russell
(Little Brown, ISBN 0-8212-2397-6). It was published in the U.K. in
1997 but the North American edition apparently came out in 2001.
Edith Wharton was an American novelist who lived much of her life in
Europe, and, in 1904, published an illustrated book describing a series
of Italian gardens. Vivian Russell, a British writer and a magnificent
photographer, has revisited the surviving gardens almost a century later
and created her own contemporary tribute.
I'm not normally a garden buff but I was simply blown away by this
book. It's one of the most gorgeous photo collections I've ever seen,
capturing the gardens in all their moods and seasons. I especially
valued the opportunity to see places that, for the most part, are not on
the normal tourist circuit. I've only seen one of the gardens mentioned
in the book, Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, but if I ever get back to
Italy there are many other hidden treasures that would be tempting to
visit.

-- Ron

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 20:14:02 -0500, Ronald Hands
wrote:

I came across a book at the public library the other day which so
impressed me that I thought others might to look out for it.
The title is Edith Wharton's Italian Gardens, by Vivian Russell
(Little Brown, ISBN 0-8212-2397-6). It was published in the U.K. in
1997 but the North American edition apparently came out in 2001.
Edith Wharton was an American novelist who lived much of her life in
Europe, and, in 1904, published an illustrated book describing a series
of Italian gardens. Vivian Russell, a British writer and a magnificent
photographer, has revisited the surviving gardens almost a century later
and created her own contemporary tribute.
I'm not normally a garden buff but I was simply blown away by this
book. It's one of the most gorgeous photo collections I've ever seen,
capturing the gardens in all their moods and seasons. I especially
valued the opportunity to see places that, for the most part, are not on
the normal tourist circuit. I've only seen one of the gardens mentioned
in the book, Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore, but if I ever get back to
Italy there are many other hidden treasures that would be tempting to
visit.

I have visited a number of Italian gardens, and often left
disappointed, if not downright discouraged. In many cases, they are
not maintained adequately at all. Broken scultures, staircases blocked
off because they are no longer safe, weeds in the shrubbery, mass
plantings of petunias, and a general air of neglect. Italy has so much
cultural heritage to maintain, and the gardens don't seem to have a
high priority. Maybe some have survived in all their glory but a great
many are almost irrecoverable.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup