THE GARDENS OF VILLA IL TRITONE |The Garden of Eaden

Villa il Tritone

If you have managed to catch a glimpse of the BBC2 television series 'Monty Don's Italian Gardens' then your interest may have been piqued by the glorious offering that was Villa il Tritone, Sorrento. I say 'was' as the owner and master of the garden, Rita Vessichelli Pane has since moved on to create a second horticultural masterpiece in the Bay of Naples.

The gardens of Villa il Tritone

Built during the 19th century, Villa il Tritone was founded on the the remains of an important ancient Roman villa dating back to the 1st century AD. As you would expect from the close proximity of its Mt. Vesuvius vista, the original property was destroyed, and then dragged from its cliff top position by the resulting tsunami after the volcano erupted in AD 79. The current form of Villa il Tritones was the result of improvements undertaken by Ambassador for the United States of America, the outrageously wealthy William Waldorf Astor.

The grand architectural style of the gardens were designed by the famous landscape architect Harold Peto, and are considered by some to be one of the finest in Europe. However it was the artistic hand of Rita Vessichelli Pane which not only transformed the gardens into a romantic masterpiece, but one of Italy's most important and valued gardens.

The departure of Rita Pane will inevitably affect the ongoing look of the garden, however a selection of private photographs from her period as 'informal curator' have been generously forwarded to us the 'Garden of Eaden' to be view by a wider audience.

These images are the private property of both Rita Pane and her daughter Amelia Pane Schaffner and cannot be used or copied without the express permission of said owners.