Giardino

Immediately recognisable, Rome is one the most beautiful cities I've ever been to.

                                                              
Every corner you turn in Rome you see an example of an historical city slowly falling into greater ruin whilst the new city develops around it.

As a result of this the less ancient and modern buildings have had to grow around decaying columns and sculptures that are slowly being swallowed up by the surroundings.

This leads to some of the most wonderful integrations of old and new, man made and the natural, and hard and soft landscapes.

The Italian Influence.

The ancient romantic Italian courtyard garden has been mimicked throughout the world in vast country estates and small city gardens. Pick any garden reclamation centre and you will see copies of columns and sculptures that have originated from the Italians. Even the seemingly English kitchen garden has it's roots in the Italians monastaries.

There are very few styles or methods used in contemporary gardens today that don't have a form of influence from many years ago and Rome was a hot bed for such inspiration.

Whilst wondering around Rome I couldn't help but remember some of the Garden History I was taught as a student. Throughout the 19th century Landscapes were being painted as "sublime" landscapes. 

The "sublime" was a form of terrifying beauty. Landscapes where an old fort would teeter on the edge of a vast cliff, or where communities would live in the shelter of enormous terrifying mountains. Rome gives you the sublime in spades.

Everywhere you look there is a monster of a building perched on top of a crumbling ancient wall. Or trees growing out of temples precariously hanging over passers by.

Rome has many fine examples of both traditional beauty and sublime beauty. 

Unfortunately being such a wonderful place, it does attract the odd idiot!!