Italian Gardens

by Charles A. Platt

This influential book was long out of print until the appearance of this new edition, which includes 20 additional photographs not found in the original. Devoted to the landscapes surrounding Italian villas, it depicts an indoor-outdoor lifestyle that was of particular appeal to later American landscape designers.

174 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1993

About the author

Charles Adams Platt was a landscape gardener, designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. In 1919 he became a trustee of the American Academy in Rome, where he served as President from 1928 until his death. He also served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1921.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was worth reading simply for the overview at the end of the book written by Keith N. Morgan. Morgan provided Keen insight on Platt’s life and how this book bolstered American interest in Italy and led to a revival of the formal garden. Otherwise, I found Platt’s photographs and descriptions of the Italian villas he visited to be quite bland and only really focusing on the fact that they were mostly dilapidated. I understand Platt didn’t want the focus of the book to be a historical analysis, but if that’s the case I wonder why the original book was necessary.