Published in England and the U.S. by Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers and in Canada by McArthur & Company.
Twenty-seven years in the making, The Gardens of the Vatican is a private photographic tour of eight centuries of 'green thoughts in a green shade'. The several gardens in the Vatican territory reflect the history of gardens in general. In addition to the Persian-influenced quadrant gardens of the Teuton Cemetery and the Secret garden, adorned with lemon-trees in pots, there are garden
s in the Italian, French and English styles.
The book is rich in anecdote and detail: Pope John XXIII liked to ramble along the pathways and chat with the gardeners. His predecessor Pius XII wanted solitude, so the gardeners were obliged to hide. There is a fragment of the Berlin Wall, a Chinese pavilion given by the Catholics of that country, and a gnarled old olive tree transplanted from Gethsemane in the Holy Land.
The Gardens of the Vatican offers a fascinating and inspiring glimpse of a bachelor's refuge, through eight centuries of history.
"A work of staggering vision and dedication, 27 years in the making, which gives a rare, fascinating and inspiring glimpse of the Vatican's grand gardens." - Bookseller
