The Gardens of the Vatican

Twenty-seven years in the making, The Gardens of the Vatican is a private photographic tour of eight centuries of "green thoughts in a green shade." Reflecting the general history of gardening, the several gardens in the Vatican span worlds — the Persian-influenced quadrant gardens of the Teuton Cemetery and the Secret garden (adorned with lemon-trees in pots) are joined by gardens in the Italian, French, and English styles. The book is also rich in anecdote and detail: Pope John XXIII liked to ramble along the pathways and chat with the gardeners whereas his predecessor, Pius XII, wanted solitude, so the gardeners were obliged to hide. There is a fragment of the Berlin Wall, a Chinese pavilion given by the Catholics of that country, and a gnarled old olive tree transplanted from Gethsemane in the Holy Land. This gorgeously illustrated book offers a fascinating and inspiring glimpse of a bachelors' refuge, through nearly a millennium of history.