A spatial analysis of three Italian renaissance gardens : a field study of Villa Gamberaia, Villa Lante and Villa Medici at Fiesole

Sammanfattning: A spatial analysis of three Italian renaissance gardens is a bachelor thesis in Landscape architecture at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp. The intent is to do a spatial analysis of Italian renaissance gardens and their underlying structures to see if this can provide guidance in creating interesting garden design. The hypothesis is that underlying structures of Italian renaissance gardens can shape the experience in predictable ways. To investigate the hypothesis, two research questions are posed: What can be learned by studying underlying structures of Italian renaissance gardens in terms of guidance in creating interesting garden designs, and what, if any, underlying structures of Italian renaissance gardens evoke specific emotions. This is an exploratory field study drawing on personal experiences of three gardens: Villa Gamberaia, Villa Lante and Villa Medici at Fiesole. Central concepts studied are static and dynamic space, openness and closeness, divisions and links, direction and geometry, scale and proportion. In this paper, support for the hypothesis is found as each of these concepts in practice can and do evoke a whole range of specific emotions, like exhilaration, comfort et cetera.