[Letter VII]

The inequality [unevenness] of the land [of the villa Borghese Pinciana] is taken advantage of in order to produce the most extraordinary effects, one of which surprises the beholder the more as it is rarely met with; it is a lake suspended, as it were, on the summit of a mountain: the waters are carried there at a great expense, but then they give life to these beautiful gardens. They rush from the top of a rock filling the urns of many sculptured nymphs, and at last, flowing round a temple consecrated to Esculapius, this irregular lake is surrounded by magnificent trees, such as chesnut trees, laurels, weeping-willows, and also with fragrant shrubs, the trembling and dome-shaped foliage of which is reflected in the waters which it darkens.

 During those beautiful nights, the calmness and freshness of which are so much prized in Italy, this temple and these cascades are sometimes illuminated in an ingenious and pleasing manner. Elegant boats shoot along the borders of the lake, or linger under the flowery bowers; bands of musicians, distributed here and there, make the scene echo with the sublime notes of Paesiello and of Cimorosa, while select companies wander amid the enchanting arbours, or form themselves into parties for dancing.