Rome, Italy is known as the eternal city.  I learned that first hand during my October trip with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art.

The trip was coordinated by the indomitable Pamela Huntington Darling, aka Pamela, darling.  She likes to make her trips as rich with people and connections as sights to see.  Pamela and her cast of art advisors, architectural historians, landscape architects, and architects led me and about a dozen other ICAA members deep into the history of eternal Rome.  Frank Dabell, art historian on the faculty of Temple University in Rome could make an image of a no. 2 lead pencil sound exciting with the use of his keen eye and English wit.  Imagine now how he made so much Renaissance art that this writer never appreciated come alive.  Anthony Majanlahti, historian and author of recently published The Families Who Made Rome knows the politics of ancient Rome as well as he knows the bits of gossip of today’s Rome families.  Architect Thomas Rankin, professor at several universities in Rome,  is literally a walking encyclopedia of the architecture of the city as well as Director of Teverno, www.teverno.it.

These Rome experts made ancient world history come alive for me.  It is what the best experts can do.  It is what we do at Marcia Weber Gardens to Love because we are as passionate about gardens as Frank, Anthony, and Tom are about their adopted city.  Ask us questions about your gardens and what you have seen on your travels that might have inspired you.

More on the gardens of the Roman countryside in my next posting…

Marcia Weber

Gardens to Love, Inc.