Enclosed Gardens will be closed from 4.00pm Tuesday 24 December. Last entry 3.30pm.

Enclosed Gardens and Gallagher Visitor Centre will be closed on Wednesday 25 December. Reopening at 10am Thursday 26 December.
Outer areas including Rogers' Rose Garden, Turtle Lake, Rhododendron Lawn and the Children's Playground remain open.

A garden of princes and poets that celebrates ancient myths and divine symmetry in a series of unfolding spaces.

Repeated motifs and classical statues accompany your walk through Renaissance Italy, an age of art, literature, and invention.

Renaissance Italy was a time of great creativity when ancient texts were rediscovered alongside new ideas in art and literature. Renaissance gardens were one of the most influential gardens of their age and still inspire today. The garden unfolds almost like a story, with repeated motifs and references to classical myth, through a series of spaces that will take you from wild woods to formal beds.

Paradise

Paradise

Ticket Required

Best viewed: all seasons

Colourful blooms

Popular with kids

Highlights Tour available

Audio Guide available

What you'll find in the Italian Renaissance Garden

  • Romantic statues, classic architectural features, and a small amphitheatre, ideal for weddings.
  • Reflection of divine and cosmic order through geometric featured gardens.
  • Arched trellises and raised terraces overlooking the gardens.

Background of the Italian Renaissance Garden

Imagine a garden inspired by ancient myths, hidden surprises, and geometric perfection. That's the world of Italian Renaissance gardens, bursting with fascinating history and clever design.

Renaissance gardens weren't born overnight. They take inspiration from many places, especially the beautiful gardens of the Arab world, reinterpreted with a Christian twist. Think statues of Roman heroes alongside vibrant flower beds, a unique blend of old and new.

Another big influence was the revival of ancient Greece and Rome. Renaissance designers aimed to outdo their legendary predecessors, even incorporating statues like the famous "Capitoline Wolf" with its twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, raised by a she-wolf after being cast adrift in a basket.

These gardens weren't just ornamental. They evolved from medieval gardens, keeping features such as high walls, plant beds, and flowery meadows. Later Renaissance gardens embraced a grand central line, guiding you through secret compartments bursting with surprises, all connected by one central path.

Geometry was like a code for these designers, reflecting cosmic order and harmony. They saw geometric shapes in nature and recreated them in their gardens, just like architects and artists of the time. Think circles, triangles, and a hidden "grid" forming the perfect foundation, just like the one you'll find in the Italian Renaissance Garden.

With hidden corners and perfect symmetry, learn the fascinating story of Italian Renaissance gardens - a blend of history, myth, and geometry, waiting to be explored.

Uncover the secrets of the Italian Renaissance Garden.

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