From the horticultural tradition that Lucullus brought to Rome with projects on the Pincian Hill, shocking and amazing his contemporaries in their magnitude, to the elaborate development of gardens in Pompeii and Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli, the wealthiest Romans built extensive villa gardens with water features, including fountains and shaded arcades. Vitruvius wrote the oldest manual of design, which some still consider essential to landscape construction and composition. In the Middle Ages, monasteries across Italy created horti conclusi or secluded gardens. The Italian Renaissance inspired a revolution in private gardening full of scenes of allegory and mythology. In the 16th century, Italian universities created the first botanical gardens in Europe. The tradition of gardening continues today at Ninfa and Landriana. Let’s explore these gardens together on a virtual tour of Italy.