The region of Lazio, with Rome at its heart, includes some of Italy’s most extraordinary gardens, where art, architecture, and landscape converge to reflect centuries of cultural, social, and political history. Ranging from the formal terraces of Renaissance villas to expansive urban parks, these gardens serve as living testimonies of evolving tastes, technological innovation, and expressions of power.
This course looks at the golden age of villa and garden design in Lazio through emblematic sites such as Villa Farnese at Caprarola, a fortress-villa with terraced gardens and secret groves and the Villa Lante, originally a hunting park transformed into a summer retreat for the Bishops of Viterbo. We will examine the Villa Medici on the Hill of Gardens, once the Ricci family’s residence with its aviary of painted birds, remarkable sculptures (including the Venus de Medici) and collection of botanical treasures.
On to Tivoli and the UNESCO-listed Villa d’Este, renowned as a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering and artistic water gardens. Nearby, Villa Gregoriana is an example of landscape design incorporating water engineering, made to save Tivoli from terrible flooding.
We will explore how these gardens operated as expressions of power and refined taste, employing technological ingenuity and design features such as terracing, intricate waterworks, symbolic layouts, and spatial organisation. Beyond their historical importance, the course will reflect on the huge challenges for preserving these heritage sites, the conservation challenges, and the evolving role of green spaces in both urban and semi-urban settings.
Information
£125
5 WEEK ONLINE COURSE
Our online Zoom course will begin on Friday, 30th January 2026
6 pm-7.30 pm GMT.
All our Zoom courses are recorded, and a link to the recording will be sent out after each class, which will remain active for one month.
The region of Lazio, with Rome at its heart, includes some of Italy’s most extraordinary gardens, where art, architecture, and landscape converge to reflect centuries of cultural, social, and political history. Ranging from the formal terraces of Renaissance villas to expansive urban parks, these gardens serve as living testimonies of evolving tastes, technological innovation, and expressions of power.
This course looks at the golden age of villa and garden design in Lazio through emblematic sites such as Villa Farnese at Caprarola, a fortress-villa with terraced gardens and secret groves and the Villa Lante, originally a hunting park transformed into a summer retreat for the Bishops of Viterbo. We will examine the Villa Medici on the Hill of Gardens, once the Ricci family’s residence with its aviary of painted birds, remarkable sculptures (including the Venus de Medici) and collection of botanical treasures.
On to Tivoli and the UNESCO-listed Villa d’Este, renowned as a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering and artistic water gardens. Nearby, Villa Gregoriana is an example of landscape design incorporating water engineering, made to save Tivoli from terrible flooding.
We will explore how these gardens operated as expressions of power and refined taste, employing technological ingenuity and design features such as terracing, intricate waterworks, symbolic layouts, and spatial organisation. Beyond their historical importance, the course will reflect on the huge challenges for preserving these heritage sites, the conservation challenges, and the evolving role of green spaces in both urban and semi-urban settings.
Information
£125
5 WEEK ONLINE COURSE
Our online Zoom course will begin on Friday, 30th January 2026
6 pm-7.30 pm GMT.
All our Zoom courses are recorded, and a link to the recording will be sent out after each class, which will remain active for one month.
