Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"

England

Springtime Travel: Wisteria Bedecked Gardens

Monks House  Wisteria  Photo © Alice Joyce

Lavish displays of Wisteria are one of the joys of Springtime garden sojourns in the United Kingdom. From London to the countryside, you can revel in lavish displays of fragrant, cascading wisteria.

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Historic Gardens

Hidden Gardens of Spain: Book Review

Hidden Gardens of Spain by Eduardo Mencos

2011 Paperback Edition : Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd

Hidden Gardens of Spain by Eduardo Mencos

When I’m not galivanting about, I pursue armchair travel with an unwavering zeal. There’s much of Spain I’ve yet to see. Yet now, after spending evenings curled up in my favorite wing chair with a new paperback edition of Hidden Gardens of Spain, I’ve had the opportunity to accompany author Eduardo Mencos to each “little Eden” he visits, sharing each

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Historic Gardens

Villa Lante: Touring Italian Gardens

Villa Lante Stone Table [Photo © Alice Joyce]

The elements of a Renaissance garden come together in a poetic harmony at Villa Lante, northeast of Rome in the village of Bagnaia. Often quoted author of Italian Villas and Their Gardens, the novelist Edith Wharton found the setting to be a magical place when she visited in 1903. The survival of these gardens is commendable, as so many of the period have now vanished. Attributed to the great Mannerist architect, Vignola, Villa Lante began as the dream of Cardinal Gambara in the 16th century. The conversion of a hunting preserve became the glorious landscaped grounds we see today. Cardinal Peretti-Montalto tales credit for the creation of the central Fountain of the Moors.

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