I first visited Park Guell, designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi in the last dark days of Franco’s rule, before a resurgent Catalonia and before Barcelona had become a hip tourist destination. Then the park was a sleepy and … Continue reading
Set in a remote corner of the Cotswolds lies two of England’s most memorable gardens, yet the contrast between Hidcote and Kiftsgate Court couldn’t be greater. The National Trust markets Hidcote (I think controversially) as ‘The 20th century’s most influential … Continue reading
Parking next to a family just leaving, I was witness to a small girl’s red-faced tantrum, accompanied by much stamping of feet. ‘But Mummy, we’ve just adopted it, ….WHY can’t I take it home?’ I looked quizzically at the exasperated … Continue reading
The most remarkable thing about my hotel on the outskirts of Frascati was to see the walls lined with dozens of period garden engravings. Expecting Villa d’Este to have the greatest prominence, I was surprised to find it eclipsed by … Continue reading
In the American Mid-West prairie states spring starts late. There was still snow on the ground last year in mid-April, and ice on the lakes until early May, but by late June the air temperatures were in the upper 20s, … Continue reading
Italians just don’t get it. At the inappropriately named Villa Adriana (more the size of a city than a villa) the stifling bureaucracy of the Italian State manages, but not quite succeeds in strangling something that is hauntingly beautiful. Getting … Continue reading