Villa Hanbury Gardens
AA-2026-C433D7
On the image
Maintaining perfection on this scale requires a certain kind of commitment, largely invisible to the casual visitor. Thousands of tiny plants are arranged into shapes that, from a distance, convey a message of timeless elegance or possibly a mild form of heraldry.
Someone with a two-wheeled cart is at the base of the grand staircase, perhaps contemplating the thousands of steps that need sweeping or the precise angle at which a leaf must be pruned to maintain the illusion. It's a job that never truly ends, much like the slow march of bureaucracy.
This meticulous effort ensures that wealthy patrons, or perhaps now just tourists, can enjoy the carefully constructed illusion of nature tamed, pausing only to wonder if the gardener gets paid by the step or by the perfectly aligned hedge row.
The historian's note
The photograph depicts the terraced gardens of Villa Hanbury, located at La Mortola, near Ventimiglia, Liguria, Italy. This historic botanical garden was established in 1867 by Thomas Hanbury, a wealthy British merchant.
The gardens are renowned for their extensive collection of exotic and Mediterranean plants, meticulously arranged in a series of terraces descending to the sea. The distinct geometric patterns formed by flowerbeds and hedges, including motifs like the stylised boat visible here, are characteristic of its late 19th and early 20th-century design.
By the 1970s, the gardens, after a period of decline during World War II, were under the management of the Italian state, which took over in 1960. They continued to be a significant site for botanical research and public enjoyment, requiring constant maintenance to preserve their unique character.
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Villa Hanbury Terraced Gardens, La Mortola, Italy, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-C433D7. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/villa-hanbury-terraced-gardens-la-mortola-italy-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026C433D7,
title = {Villa Hanbury Terraced Gardens, La Mortola, Italy, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-C433D7},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/villa-hanbury-terraced-gardens-la-mortola-italy-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Villa Hanbury Terraced Gardens, La Mortola, Italy, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-C433D7 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/villa-hanbury-terraced-gardens-la-mortola-italy-1970s ER -
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