The incredulous gardener

Steve was so impressed with the gardens at Villa del Balbianello that he estimated it would take four men, working full time, to keep it looking so perfect. He was wrong. They only have two - very hard working - gardeners. Steve felt exhausted just thinking about it.

The tree in the top photo is kept perfectly rounded. It is trimmed like a small topiary bush, except for one small complication - it is 20 metres high. When Steve first saw the tree he said "OMG, how the hell do they do that??!"

We found out. They do it by climbing up underneath on ladders, poking their heads through the top and trimming it - by hand - with pruning shears. Now that is impressive.