BBC Italian Gardens Rome Part 1of 4

Monty Don's Italian Gardens is a four-part BBC documentary presented by Monty Don, following Monty Don's grand garden tour around Italy, from the retreats of the affluent north to the horticultural gems of the south. Monty Don begins his journey in Rome, power base of emperors and popes, to explore some of the most extravagant gardens ever created. In Florence Monty Don discovers how renaissance gardens were created as works of art, and how a group of Edwardian expats mistakenly reinforced the idea that formal Italian gardens were flowerless. In Naples Monty Don visits some of the most sublime, romantic retreats in southern Italy. He attempts to discover why, in the south, gardens are informal and filled with flowers. Finally, Monty Don concludes his garden tour of Italy in the wealthy north where, in the Veneto and Lucca, extravagant pleasure gardens were created for flirtation and fun.