A comprehensive look at the history and character of Italian garden architecture and ornamentation, with a brief history of more than seventy-five villas as well as a detailed discussion of their gardens and the relationship between the villa, its garden, and the surrounding countryside.

Breaks Tuscan architecture and interior design into four components: stone, wood, earth, and water, and discusses each, presenting approximately two hundred color photos.

"Winner of the James R. Wiseman Award, Archaeological Institute of America" "One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1994" Andrew Wallace-Hadrill is Professor of Classics at the University of Reading in England. Few sources reveal the life of the ancient Romans as vividly as do the houses preserved by the eruption of Vesuvius. Wealthy Romans lavished resources on shaping their surroundings to impress their crowds of visitors. The fashions...