Great Gardens Of Europe, The

The garden is both a space for private reflection and a stage for public expression, providing a mirror to an epoch's tastes, customs and culture. This lavishly illustrated book of some of the finest gardens in Europe takes the reader on a journey through more than 500 years of history, providing an insight to the people and times that shaped each magnificent garden. From seventeenth-century Levens Hall in the English countryside, with its fantastic topiary using hornbeams and box-trees, to the splendid Versailles, its statues and fountains praising the glory of the Sun King; from the geometry of Italian Renaissance gardens to the picturesque Giverny Garden, 'painted' by Paul Cezanne with strokes of iris and waterlilies; from the magical Alhambra in Granada, its refined fountains the legacy of the Arabs, to the modern Vigeland Park in Oslo, a true open-air art museum created in the 1950s - these are just some of the 31 spectacular European gardens presented here. With informative text providing useful information for those planning a visit and beautiful photography throughout, this book is a charming guide to the Europe of the past.