Renaissance garden

A new outlook on life began to take hold here during the end of the 15th century, with a return to forms, values, and ideas from antiquity, which influenced not only the humanities but also architecture and horticulture.

Also, the representational needs of the enlightened urban upper middle classes were to be taken into consideration, who were increasingly developing retreats for leisure and contemplation outside of cities, particularly in northern Italy.

[2] The Renaissance witnessed a significant transition towards the literature and culture of classical antiquity, which often contradicted the views of the late Middle Ages.

[3] Prominent figures of that era sought inspiration from ancient authorities like Vitruvius or Ovid when creating living spaces, aiming to recreate the ambiance of classical antiquity.

[4] Beautiful settings such as the Golden Age, the gardens of the Hesperides, the Nymphs and the Muses, or the Elysian fields of Homer and Virgil were depicted in the literary works studied for designing these spaces.

Renaissance gardens’ design language was influenced by the revived aesthetics of Greek and Roman antiquity, embracing orderly homogeneity, and the use of staircases, sculptures, and water features.

"[5][11] Erasmus of Rotterdam's influential work, Convivium religiosum, published in 1522, described the transition from the monastic-style hortus conclusus to the Christian-style Renaissance garden.

[14] First and foremost, the use of classical order structures, such as perspective, proportion, symmetry, circles, quadrilaterals, and triangles, was a reflection of the strong connection and admiration for the aesthetics of antiquity during the Renaissance.

The interrelationship between outdoor space and the building was recognized, and builders and garden designers worked to integrate them into a single entity.

These principles were applicable to both the design of palaces and gardens, reflecting a unified approach to creating harmonious and aesthetically pleasing spaces.

[16] "The architect must accurately maintain a sense of good proportion and regularity so that the pleasing balance of the whole is not lost over the appeal of individual parts.

"The allegorical novel "Hypnerotomachia Poliphili," written by Francesco Colonna and published in 1499, played a pivotal role in shaping Renaissance garden art.

[17] In Italy, the earliest Renaissance gardens were established either within existing city castles or as part of newly constructed countryside villas.

This arrangement was in line with the concepts of garden planners, as it allowed for the inclusion of perspectives, axes, stonework, and most importantly, water features.

In contrast, gardens in France and German-speaking regions were often built within existing castles and palaces, utilizing available spaces, and frequently repurposing former fortifications.

Axes, such as avenues, walkways, canals, or arcades, were introduced as overarching elements that structured the garden's perspective while taking the location and architecture of the buildings into consideration.

In the classical Renaissance garden, there were often up to four roughly equal rectangular areas, known as All'italiana-Parterre, which featured strong geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles, diagonals, and circles.

[9] Popular planting forms in Renaissance gardens included knotted parterres, borders, hedges, avenues, pergolas, and treillages.

Even in the Venetian terraferma, the only area in Italy where villegiatura (vacationing in the countryside) developed in flatlands, early villas were built on the few hills available.

Notable examples of grand water features include the cascades of Villa d'Este and the Neptune Fountain in the Boboli Gardens at Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

The visual axis became the dominant feature in the garden's staging, with all floral arrangements and horticultural design elements serving the overall ensemble.

[10] During the early 16th century, a notable Renaissance garden was established on the site of the current Belvedere courtyard and the Vatican Apostolic Library.

It was designed by Donato Bramante in 1503 under the commission of Pope Julius II, drawing inspiration from the architectural principles of Leon Battista Alberti.