The Vatican Gardens

We definitely managed to pack in a fair share of traveling this past week, from Castiglion Fiorentino to Rome and then to Sorrento and Positano. It would be impossible for me to choose a favorite from the many places we’d seen, but a highlight from this week-long trip would definitely have been the Vatican gardens. It was refreshing to see the direct transition from a bustling city with little to no landscaping whatsoever to so many acres of well-kept grounds. I thoroughly enjoyed our initial walk through the English gardens, but was definitely more awed when we reached the Italian garden, from which the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica was visible. Although small, the Italian garden was very appealing to the eye and the detail that went into the design truly drew everyone’s attention to the garden as opposed to the surrounding features. It was very interesting to see the transition from the English to the Italian garden and also to experience the characteristics of these two gardens that were discussed in class with Dr. Starrman. The Italian garden definitely exhibited symmetry as well as a sloping landscape, and was made up of mostly boxwood hedges, all identical characteristics to our class discussions of traditional Italian gardens.

Jackie Amdor