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Italian Villas and Their Gardens
Edith Wharton’s Italian Villas and Their Gardens, a seminal work on garden design, is a testament to the passionate connoisseurship of one of America’s greatest writers. A comprehensive look at the history and character of Italian garden architecture and ornamentation, the book explores more than seventy-five villas, capturing what Wharton calls their "garden-magic" and illuminating the intimate relationship between the house, its formal gardens, and the surrounding countryside.This beautiful hardcover facsimile is carefully reproduced from the first edition published in 1904 and features all of the original plates, including twenty-six illustrations by Maxfield Parrish, as well as décollage edges. It is published in association with The Mount Press. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the book support the restoration of The Mount, the Massachusetts estate designed and built by Wharton based on the principles articulated in this book and in The Decoration of Houses. Elegantly written and informed by Wharton’s sensitivity and wit, Italian Villas and Their Gardens is a work that belongs on the shelf of every lover of gardens and good taste.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1904
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About the author
Edith Wharton
1,463 books5,291 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 17, 2024
While this would have been a lot more fun if I read it in Italy, I enjoyed my armchair travels through this study of Italian villas and gardens by the novelist and gardens connoisseur Edith Wharton.
My favorite: Villa d’Este at Tivoli
Wharton says from the village square you can only see a wall with a door, but when you pass through, there was a suite of rooms with frescoes. “This corridor has lost its frescoes, but preserves a line of niches decorated in coloured pebbles and stuccowork, with gaily painted stucco caryatids supporting the arches; and as each niche contains a semicircular fountain, the whole length of the corridor must once have rippled with running water.” It sounds stunning.
She tells how water was drawn up the hill (very expensively) from the Anio River to make a thousand little streams traveling downward across each terrace, “dripping into mossy chonchs, flashing in spray from the horns of sea-gods and the jaws of mythical monsters, or forcing themselves in irrepressible overflow down the ivy-matted banks.” Now that’s a garden!
One of the most interesting to read about was the Villa Scassi in Genoa, masterpiece of architect Alessi, who supposedly studied under Michelangelo. Wharton says it was here “that the earliest attempts were made to bring the untamed forms of nature into relation with the disciplined lines of architecture.” The villa is at the foot of a hill, and the gardens rise above it up the hillside in terraces. Niches with statues and temples decorate the grounds. This shows the “nymphaeum.”
The place I absolutely must see? The gardens at Val San Zibio. Wharton says “They are remarkable for their long pleached alleys of beech, their wide tapis verts, fountains, marble benches and statues charmingly placed in niches of clipped verdure.” There are some beautiful shots here: https://www.valsanzibiogiardino.com/t... that allowed me to pretend.
Even without seeing these in person, I must agree with Wharton that the Italian architects created, “with simple materials and in a limited space, impressions of distance, and sensations of the unexpected …”
Lovely!
My favorite: Villa d’Este at Tivoli
Wharton says from the village square you can only see a wall with a door, but when you pass through, there was a suite of rooms with frescoes. “This corridor has lost its frescoes, but preserves a line of niches decorated in coloured pebbles and stuccowork, with gaily painted stucco caryatids supporting the arches; and as each niche contains a semicircular fountain, the whole length of the corridor must once have rippled with running water.” It sounds stunning.
She tells how water was drawn up the hill (very expensively) from the Anio River to make a thousand little streams traveling downward across each terrace, “dripping into mossy chonchs, flashing in spray from the horns of sea-gods and the jaws of mythical monsters, or forcing themselves in irrepressible overflow down the ivy-matted banks.” Now that’s a garden!
One of the most interesting to read about was the Villa Scassi in Genoa, masterpiece of architect Alessi, who supposedly studied under Michelangelo. Wharton says it was here “that the earliest attempts were made to bring the untamed forms of nature into relation with the disciplined lines of architecture.” The villa is at the foot of a hill, and the gardens rise above it up the hillside in terraces. Niches with statues and temples decorate the grounds. This shows the “nymphaeum.”
The place I absolutely must see? The gardens at Val San Zibio. Wharton says “They are remarkable for their long pleached alleys of beech, their wide tapis verts, fountains, marble benches and statues charmingly placed in niches of clipped verdure.” There are some beautiful shots here: https://www.valsanzibiogiardino.com/t... that allowed me to pretend.
Even without seeing these in person, I must agree with Wharton that the Italian architects created, “with simple materials and in a limited space, impressions of distance, and sensations of the unexpected …”
Lovely!
May 23, 2015
Italian Villas and Their Gardens details a history in Italian garden development. The book was first published in 1904 and includes some illustrations. The Italian garden is constructed of paths, hedges, fountains and grottos. Colour and flowers are secondary in the scheme, whilst statuary, vines, foliage and structure play a major role. Order and function is an important criteria for the Italian garden and gardens are seen as an extension of the villa. They include 'garden rooms' for walking, thinking and relaxing.
It was interesting to read about a different style of gardening. I did feel that I would have liked a more personal style to the writing. My garden is very different. I love the cottage garden style with lots of flowers in a more natural setting.
It was interesting to read about a different style of gardening. I did feel that I would have liked a more personal style to the writing. My garden is very different. I love the cottage garden style with lots of flowers in a more natural setting.
May 23, 2012
This is a beautiful edition of this book- and I highly recommend this particular edition for anyone interested in the book. But sweet lord in heaven I could NOT get myself interested in the actual subject matter. Just. Could. Not. Do. It.
One of the contemporary reviews of this book (1905) praised Wharton's vast knowledge of her subject, but complained that there was no *Wharton* in the book. The gist was: "we *know* the opinions and history of other people's reflections, but what are yours?" and I felt the same.
One of the contemporary reviews of this book (1905) praised Wharton's vast knowledge of her subject, but complained that there was no *Wharton* in the book. The gist was: "we *know* the opinions and history of other people's reflections, but what are yours?" and I felt the same.
April 13, 2013
I finished reading this book this morning. It’s a very informative introduction to the subject, and a breezy read, with dreamy, exquisite illustrations by Maxfield Parrish. If the book has one flaw, it’s the one Edith Wharton herself found in it—her editors and publishers rejected her suggestion that the book include plans of the gardens. Wharton made up for that drawback with her superb powers of description.
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September 27, 2017#BestCoffeeTableBooks #BestGiftableCoffeeTableBooks
In case the price didn’t give it away (yes, it’s expensive), this is the holy grail for garden and landscape lovers. It brings together two legends, the sharp-witted observer Wharton and brilliant neoclassical illustrator Parrish, in a survey of some of Italy’s most lush gardens. Forget the anemic reprint published last year and get your hands on a first edition.
In case the price didn’t give it away (yes, it’s expensive), this is the holy grail for garden and landscape lovers. It brings together two legends, the sharp-witted observer Wharton and brilliant neoclassical illustrator Parrish, in a survey of some of Italy’s most lush gardens. Forget the anemic reprint published last year and get your hands on a first edition.
February 20, 2021
A delightful, although dated, little book. It's charm is Wharton's descriptive prose. Most interesting when she writes about somewhere one has visited. I'd advise keeping a search engine open nearby and looking at pictures of the villas as you read to put them in context. Also good to brush up on your architectural terms before you start. It seems every house in Italy has a "loggia".
June 29, 2010
My wonderful mom got me this book plus a quilt of one of the Parrish illustrations that I sleep on regularly!
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November 15, 2016Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
January 23, 2018
Edith at it again - anyone interested and can't make it to Italy? Go visit Edith's The Mount in Lenox, MA - her home, where there is not only an Italian garden, but a French flower garden as well - it is magnificent!
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November 15, 201615 NOV 2016 - recommendation through Laura. Many Thanks! Download available through Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53495
Want to read
July 26, 2008Actual title: Italian Villas and Their Gardens?
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews