The Effect of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Garden Design

The Effect of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Garden Design The introduction of the Normans in the second half of the eleventh century irreparably improved The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle. Architecture and gardening were skills that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. But nevertheless home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the entire populace. Because of this, castles were cruder buildings than monasteries: Monasteries were often immense stone buildings located in the biggest and most fertile valleys, while castles were erected on windy crests where their inhabitants dedicated time and space to tasks for offense and defense. The sterile fortresses did not provide for the peaceful avocation of farming. Berkeley Castle is probably the most complete model in existence at present of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture. It is said that the keep was developed during William the Conqueror's time. A monumental terrace serves as a discouraging factor to invaders who would attempt to mine the walls of the building. On one of these parapets is a scenic bowling green covered in grass and surrounded by an aged hedge of yew that has been designed into coarse battlements.

Bernini: The Master of Italy's Greatest Fountains

Bernini: The Master of Italy's Greatest Fountains Bernini: Master Italy's Greatest Fountains 94376201986131303.jpg

One can find Bernini's earliest masterpiece, the Barcaccia fountain, at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is filled with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy conversation and each other's company. The streets surrounding his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most trendy gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the very first water fountain of the master's career. Depicted in the fountain's design is a large ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. Absenting himself from Italy only once in his life for a lengthy period of time, in 1665 Bernini voyaged to France.

The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains

The Origins of Contemporary Wall Fountains The translation of hundreds of ancient Greek documents into Latin was commissioned by the scholarly Pope Nicholas V who led the Church in Rome from 1397 until 1455. Embellishing Rome and making it the worthy capital of the Christian world was at the center of his ambitions. At the bidding of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was restored starting in 1453. The ancient Roman tradition of building an imposing commemorative fountain at the point where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was revived by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space previously filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect commissioned by the Pope. Origins Contemporary Wall Fountains 7001638532002.jpg

Origins Contemporary Wall Fountains 7001638532002.jpg

The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually enabled it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.