The Trusty Servant Nov 2017 No. 124 | Page 10

N o .124 T he T rusty S ervant 2017 Wykeham Patrons’ trip to Italy: ‘Fields of Fire’ Alex Roe reports: Many Patrons have been loyal supporters of the nine trips organised by David Fellowes since 2010, so expectations were high that this, his ultimate as tour leader, would be something special; they were not to be disappointed. Sensitive to the views of members of the fairer sex, the military aspect - in particular the pilgrimage to Monte Cassino around which our trip was framed - was kept to just one day, which allowed time for other diversions: volcanic fields of fire, not just man-made calamities; and Roman buildings ruined by the passage of time rather than the bombs of the Allies. Ninfa: the Most Romantic Garden in the World (£350 from Amazon) was of course available for sale when we visited this glorious 20 acres on the first outing of the trip. The author, Charles Quest-Ritson (D, 61-65), who was flown in especially for the task, conducted us around what had been a forgotten section of the estate of the Caetani family, left to slumber until the 20th century when descendants transformed Villa d’Este it into the stunning place it is today. This ‘English’ garden’s unique appeal consists of plants winding over ruined towers and walls, roses scrambling for footholds in crumbling archways and the frescoed church wall still standing, proudly exposed to the weather. By complete contrast, four days later, we visited Villa d’Este near Tivoli: constructed by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este in the 1560s, Ninfa Gardens 10 with terraces, arcades, grottos, niches and nymphaeums, all in a symmetrical pattern: the nearby river Aniene was diverted to furnish water for the complex system of pools, water jets, channels, fountains and cascades, providing welcome relief on a very warm afternoon. To many, the exploration of ruins is at its best a somewhat dusty activity, the southern Italian sun beating down on serried ranks of panama hats, as those underneath slowly nod off. With Shaun Hullis, quondam Win Coll Classics don as our guide, it was never going to be like that. One by thrilling one, we ticked the sites off: Tiberius’ seaside grotto at Sperlonga with its associated statues depicting scenes from the Odyssey; through the 700m t