Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts

Monday, September 17, 2012

Garden Glory in Italy and Alice's Garden

Vignettes from my forays in Venice & the Veneto...


 Villa Barbaro Nymphaeum: a glassy pool and the sculptural extravagance of the architecture could only be glimpsed through the villa's expansive windows   ~ Maser, the Veneto.


A mosaic design accents the richly adorned paved paths ~ André Heller Botanic Garden
Gardone, Lago di Garda


Austere hedging and meticulous pebble pathways surround a private villa garden in Bardolino, Italy   ~  Lago di Garda


... while here, in Alice's Garden the Red Cestrum ~ Cestrum newellii is a top performer. 
Blooming nearly year-long, it's a shrubby specimen that invites hummingbirds, bees and butterflies to the waxy red flower clusters!
  

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Visions of Venice

Decorative metalwork .. Peggy Guggenheim Museum gateway.


When in Venice .. If  you find yourself yearning to leave the crowds behind, continue strolling along the canal, away from the tourists that gather round St. Mark's ...
... and eventually you'll come to the expansive public parklands - the Giardini at the eastern edge of the city. This green space was quiet during my June sojourn, but I believe the Architecture Biennale is taking place there this Fall.

A favorite meal ~ Misto alla Griglia
Nothing is more exciting for a lover of fine food than happening upon an inviting cafe, especially when the skies have opened to rain down on me.  The small bar/restaurant where I enjoyed this meal was very much off-the-beaten path, a spot I wouldn't have found had I not been searching for a 'secret garden' my B&B host told me about.

Though the garden was locked when I finally located it, the cafe provided a cozy table where we sipped a lovely white wine from the Veneto region, accompanied by the freshly prepared meal of roasted vegetables ~ a highlight of my day.

After leaving Venice to tour Lago di Garda for a week or so, we had returned to Venice to stay in a hotel in the Castello sestiere. [Our initial stay had been at a B&B in the Cannaregio.]

A yearning to get to know a city more intimately always motivates my journeys. As in choosing to walk away from Venice's popular tourist attractions in an attempt to discover the city of the modern-day Venetian. 

Venice is not a city to dash into and out of, in my opinion. It is no longer the city I visited years ago, but it remains a unique destination. A glistening city at twilight; entrancing if you allow a languid approach to exploring its rare wonders. 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Dreaming of Italy .. Lago di Garda

All the months of planning that go into travel abroad...

and all too soon the trip is over. 
Thankfully, the memories remain vivid in my mind's eye. At times, a flashback will trigger the excitement of a beautiful vista, as when I first glimpsed the magnificent Dolomites towering above Riva del Garda. Or I'll be going about my usual activities, and suddenly the day comes alive with the sensory recollections of a rainy summer day exploring Lake Garda.
The Peggy Guggenheim Collection ... a revelation!
Art lovers swoon over the masterpieces housed in the stunning white palace on Venice's Grand Canal. I found it difficult to pull myself away from this fascinating museum, a setting that resonates with the imagined voices of the artists and literary figures who visited Peggy's famous gatherings.
Reviewing my photos, I'll find a simple vignette brings to mind a treasured experience. Like when I gazed upon a patch of colorful poppies while trekking through the Roman Ruins in the town of Sirmione: One of Lake Garda's most picturesque towns, located on a peninsula that juts into the southern end of the lake.

Just strolling the streets of Bardolino was a joy, taking in the sights and aromas of the lively, bustling community. Bardolino served to anchor our time on Lago di Garda, a perfect base to take ferries that criss-cross the lake, or comfortable bus rides, following the coastline from one fascinating village to another.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Garden Travel .. Venice, Italy

My travels in Italy continue ... 

You're invited to visit & ... 'Like'


To discover beautiful Italian garden destinations visit:

Monday, June 25, 2012

Turning Towards Torcello

One of the great surprises of my Italian sojourn:
Historic Torcello, barely populated, yet at one time, the beating heart of the Veneto.

Some 20 people now occupy this island in the Venetian lagoon where 10,000 or more once thrived. 

Wild meadows and fenced areas under cultivation caught my eye,

along with Ristorante Villa 600, where we stopped to sip an afternoon 'Spritz' in the peaceful gardens.

Ponte del diavolo / Photo: Wikipedia
The ancient bridge found on Torcello is a popular place for tourist shutterbugs to pose.

The only other bridge of its kind in the region is Ponte Chiodo,
leading directly to the door of the Ponte Chiodo Guest House, where I was welcomed upon arrival in Venice.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Naughty Neptune! Villa Lante Reprise




Villa Lante Parterre : Fontana dei Mori
Photo © Alice Joyce

When I wrote my contributions to the book, 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die, I did not have the pleasure of writing the entry for Villa Lante.

Still, every so often I feel the urge to reprise this magnificent setting when I'm caught up in the reverie of touring Italy to visit gardens. I hope you'll enjoy these glimpses of an Italian gem, located near Viterbo in Lazio Province, not terribly far from Rome.

Text  and Photos © Alice Joyce - All rights reserved

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Italian Gardens: Hadrian's Villa



Villa Adriana - Hadrian's Villa

Outside Rome, a bit southwest of the town of Tivoli, the monumental Roman ruins of Villa Adriana stand as a testament to the ambitions and fancies of Emperor Hadrian.

Based upon Hadrian's design and built in the 2nd century A.D., the villa site presents a remarkable fusion of ostentatious architecture - a vast complex of buildings and thermal baths - cradled within hundreds of acres of green terrain.

Used as the Emperor's retreat, the once impeccable garden settings demonstrate the influences of Greek and Egyptian art, especially the preserved area of the Canopus; its name taken from an Egyptian city. Set off by magnificent statuary and fountains, the central feature - a long reflecting pool, is watched over by caryatids - figures copied from the Athenian temple of Erechteion, and linked to the god Sarapis.

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