Lucca, Florence, Chianti - Tuscany Gardens

I am in the process of planning my next trip to Italy. The trip will focus on researching more gardens in Tuscany. Major towns are Lucca, Florence and then the Chianti region. Gardens became a big deal during the Renaissance in Italy and Lucca and Florence were major towns were there was an upper class that could afford creating these gardens. So as part of my planning and research about Italian Gardens I have selected a series of books by Umberto Eco. He is an Italian professor who writes a variety of books. The Name of the Rose, The Aesthetics of Thomas Aquinas, and the History of Beauty. I selected these books to get an understanding about the history of Italian Culture.

The book, "The Name of the Rose" is set in a monastary during the Middle Ages. It is a murder mystery which makes it a bit more interesting. But it is very detailed about the life back in that era. The monks were actually some of the most wealthy citizens. Sometimes there were 2-3 or more servants for each monk. Talk about the austere life.

I also acquired a first edition set of " A History of Garden Art" by Marie Gothein that details the evolution of gardens from Ancient Egypt through modern English Gardens.

Gives me plenty of research information about each country.
Vacation Rentals in Tuscany:
Florence Vacation Rentals , Lucca Vacation Rentals, Chianti Vacation Rentals,