THE CLASSIC ITALIAN GARDEN by Judith...

THE CLASSIC ITALIAN GARDEN by Judith Chatfield, photographs by Liberto Perugi (Rizzoli: $25). Since the Renaissance, Italian landscape architects have set the standard for a certain type of horticultural elegance. Chatfield’s attractive guide to the most representative surviving gardens offers a wealth of information to anyone interested in the history and aesthetics of landscaping. The splendid color photographs of cypress-bordered allees, boxwood mazes and terraces laden with flowers and terra-cotta statuary might inspire a new home owner to formulate ambitious plans--or allow an apartment dweller to daydream in more detail.