As we look forward to the coming summer, what could be better than joining us for a journey into the beauty and history of some of the stunning gardens of Tuscany.

On a fascinating online course, we will look at the writers, artists, art historians, garden designers and garden owners based in and around Florence at the turn of the twentieth century to ask why was this largely expatriate community in Tuscany, and why were the gardens the created and encountered so important to them?

We will discover the Renaissance gardens and villas they brought back to life and the gardens of their own design. In particular we will look at the work of the architect and garden designer, Cecil Pinsent; the art historian and connoisseur Bernard Berenson; and the writer Iris Origo, from her childhood at Villa Medici in Fiesole to the creation of her own garden La Foce. Some of the astonishingly beautiful gardens we will look at include I Tatti, La Pietra, Le Balze and La Gamberaia.

Whether you enjoy gardening or visiting gardens, or are just fascinated by history, art history or the renaissance world, join us on this extraordinary exploration into the birth of the modern garden five centuries ago, and into how these historic gems were rediscovered by British and American enthusiasts in the early twentieth century.

Sessions will be informal and will involve no coursework. No previous knowledge of garden history is required.

Course Programme

1. .Introduction – who, where and why

2. The Actons – La Pietra

3. Bernard Berenson

4. Cecil Pinsent

5. Villa Gamberaia and Villa Palmieri

6. Writers in Florence

7. Sybil Cutting and Villa Medici

8. Iris Origo and La Foce

9. Janet Ross at Villa di Poggio Gherardo The Sitwells at Montegufoni

10. The Sitwells at Montegufoni

There is no compulsory reading required for this course, and there is no set course text, however, each week we will recommend books you might want to look at.

There is no compulsory reading required for this course, and there is no set course text.