Getty villa gardens

[Persephone]

Folks:

At this URL

today's Los Angeles Times, there is a lovely story about the man who helped create the plantings in this copy of a Herculaneum Villa, on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, and has continued to maintain them.

Incidentally, J. Paul Getty whose $$ funded the Villa with its gardens, never saw the place; he died in England w/o ever visiting the place.

The Getty ((NOT the famous artt gallery up on the hill which was built much later -- and which has its own garden folklore!) is finally re-opening this month. When the "new" Getty was built, and the collections were moved there, the Villa -- as the article explains -- was to hold Getty's collection of antiquities. But after two years of renovations were completed, there was about a three-year delay in re-opening, due to endless hassles with the neighbors about noise, traffic, etc. c, etc.etc.

Hope you enjoy the story, and if in Calif. you visit the Villa. If you stood up on the 2nd floor balcony and looked out toward the Pacific Ocean, you could swear you WERE in Italy, looking out through the Mediterranean plantings toward THAT ocean.

Persephone

[Robert]

I always liked the fact that I could get in free, but my car needed an appointment and had to pay. Is it still that way?

You're right, though - a beautiful place.

Rob

[Persephone]

Oops - after I checked the newspaper story again, I saw my figures were way off. It's been out of action altogether NINE years! Good lord, where have they gone! . It was supposed to re-open in 2002, but didn't happen until 2006.

[Persephone]

I think so, but I'll find out and post. Yes, here's the Web site for both Getties (Gettys?):

for the Villa always was , and may still be, conflict with the neighbors. You had to reserve parking in the Villa garage. You could not just drive up and park in the (limited) garage and exterior parking lots. There was and I assume is, absolutely NO street parking. Visitors could be dropped off, or walk up. I used to just take the bus; stops right in front, and return trip across PCH. Have to know the schedule, though; not as frequent as city buses.