Monthly Archives: October 2014

Details tell a story – a family crest, the ravages of time.

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Renaissance tile on a garden wall.

Renaissance tile on a garden wall

These tiles ornament a low wall surrounding a tiered fountain in this Italian Renaissance garden.   Each detail enhanced the story embedded in the garden when it was first created – every visitor in the early years would have understood and appreciated these symbols that highlighted the owner’s prestige and high status.  Time has changed the story – now oblivious of the original coded meanings, we see the wabi sabi beauty of the imperfections created over the last four centuries.   Come with us to savor the details of these gardens – with their layers of stories.

O Poseidon, far from the sea!

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The fountain of Poseidon

The fountain of Poseidon

The God of the Oceans rests near the fountain where the water starts its journey to the sea.  Renaissance garden designers were fascinated with ancient Roman gardens.  They unearthed the ruins, ‘borrowed’ the statues for their own gardens and pondered translations of the ancient scrolls which described garden designs.

Gazing over the valley.

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Lante down to table

Between the obelisks, and down through the sculptures, the water tumbles, transforming into a reflecting pool on the Cardinal’s table.  The sky, the branches, the clouds – reflected in the mirror.  The imaginary guests gaze over the geometric garden and the valley beyond as they feast and plot.

Walk up the steps.

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Visitors gather on the Spanish Steps in Rome

Arrive in Rome and spend two or three days exploring the Eternal City!

The sun setting on the Spanish Steps.  Layers of steps, layers of building, layers of history . . . romance . . . The Eternal City.  Rome is your gateway to the Renaissance gardens of Italy.  Beautiful gardens exist around Venice and Florence, but the most iconic Renaissance gardens are within an hour of Rome.  Come up the steps to look over the crowd always lingering on the Spanish Steps and create your own layer of memories.

Water – liquid silver in the Italian Garden.

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Water gurgles and rushes down a 'water chain.'

Come and experience water as a dramatic part of Italian Renaissance gardens.

“Water is the commonest symbol for the unconscious.”  C.G. Jung

Water flows, gurgles, pauses, rushes, sprays, leaps, sings, sleeps in the Italian garden.  The gardens we will visit were built on hillsides, using gravity to provide almost unlimited variety of water works.  Often natural springs were the source of the water but, for some of the gardens, one or more rivers were diverted to provide the amazing displays.   We will be experiencing the water in the gardens and using this inspiration to tap into our unconscious in our art meditations.

thequietgarden.com     Italy,  February 15 – 22, 2015

 

Beautiful Patina of Age.

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Marble detail of carved foliage in an Italian garden.

Marble detail showing the patina of age. Am I showing my patina of age as I try to refine the details of this website?

I love a steep learning curve and have enjoyed being immersed in learning about Word Press, Business FaceBook, domain names, Twitter, Pinterest and all the other details of sharing my love of quiet gardens with the world.  I’ve stayed up much too late!  Each new detail I master wakes me up enough to entice me further down the path and delays bedtime.

thequietgarden.com   Italy,  February 15 – 22, 2015

Updating the Website Daily!

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Weathered stone and brick retaining wall in an Italian garden from about 1550 AD.

Just as this wall is built from various bricks and stones, has to hold back soil, let water through, turn the corner, and last for many years (since about 1550 AD), I am building my website brick by brick, with photos, a blog, links to FB, and planning for it to last for many years!

Still working out the details of the website.   Please be patient with me, everyone!   Our contact forms will be operational by the end of the week. (fingers crossed!)

I love a steep learning curve so this process has been lots of fun . . .  and lots of work in between all the other projects that fill my day to day life.   My To-Do list for the next few days includes learning how to post to my blog (hope this works!) and set up a Pinterest page.  I’m looking forward to learning more about it after my French niece-in-law, Maelle, showed me how cool it is.  What an amazing place to explore images and beauty!  (And great recipes.)