After the Flood

Gardens are often washed away by floods, but Villa Gregoriana, which reopened last month in Tivoli, Italy, was actually created by one. Rescued from abandonment by the Italian Environment Foundation (FAI), the vertical garden (there's actually no villa) offers one of the most romantic walks in Europe. It winds through luxuriant wooded paths, natural grottoes and ancient ruins, and leads to a spectacular 120-m waterfall. The landscape, featuring 2nd century B.C. architecture, inspired such 17th and 18th century artists as Nicolas Poussin and Jean-Honor Fragonard, and became a must-see stop on the Grand Tour. Later, Villa Gregoriana was admired as much...