Garden Lover's Guide to Italy (Garden Lover's Guides to Europe)

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Summary: The serious garden lover's essential Italian garden guide
Review: This is the most comprehensive guide I have found to Italian gardens open for visitng. Written by Penelope Hobhouse, one of England's foremost garden designers, it offers a real garden-lovers insight into what makes Italian gardens truly unique in style. The book is laid out in sections according to regions of Italy with good regional maps attached for route planning. Each garden has its own summary including an history of its design and later modifications, with elegant pictures, symbols denoting especial features, hours of opening, and other nearby sights worth visiting. "Gardens of Italy" is a slim volume perfect for not only plannning a comprehensive garden-accented trip from home but also small enough to carry whilst travelling. It is best used as an aide for advance planning rather than ad-hoc garden visits as many gardens are privately owned and visits are by appointment / advance arrangement only, a fact which Hobhouse notes in herforeword, but which after all is hardly her fault!