We've already covered what is probably the most expensive house in DC that isn't on the market (the residence for the Italian Ambassador), but now you can learn a few things about Italian design in the Nation's capital as a part of What’s Out There Weekend from May 19-20. A group called The Cultural Landscape is sponsoring a weekend of tours and talks about Italian architecture and landscape design with a preview event tomorrow night at Hillwood House entitled "Italian Villa influence on US" (tickets range from $7-$20). The events planned for the weekend are all free of charge and frequently fill up well in advance of the day and some of them are already booked up (such as the very popular tour of the Franciscan Monastery). Check out the website to register or the full press release and list of site tours after the jump.
· What's Out There Weekend Washington DC [OfficialSite]
· Hillwood House Events: Italian Villa influence on US[OfficialSite]
· There's A DC House Valued At $42M, But You Can't Have It [CDC]
What’s Out There Weekend Washington DC May 19-20 with FREE Expert-Led Tours of Italian-Influenced Parks, Gardens and Open Spaces
Additional Events-May 10 Lecture on Italian Villa influence on US at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, and May 17 Opening Reception at Charles Luck Stone Center in Georgetown/Cady’s Alley
Washington, DC (May 7, 2012) Washington, DC’s great Italianate parks and gardens will be featured in FREE, expert-led tours May 19-20, 2012 during What’s Out There Weekend Washington DC, organized by The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Washington, DC was site of the inaugural What’s Out There Weekend in 2010, followed by weekends in San Francisco and Chicago in 2011. The nation’s capital has an exceptional and diverse collection of parks and gardens inspired by great Italian villas and architecture – Romanesque, Renaissance and more. On May 19-20 visitors can visit the magisterial Meridian Hill Park, with its grand cascading fountain, the intimate grounds of the Franciscan Monastery and the elegant gardens at Dumbarton Oaks and Tudor Place, along with several others. Some are places we see daily, while others are “hidden in plain sight.” The goal of What’s Out There Weekend Washington DC is to make these places, the stories behind them and the people responsible for them visible. All the tours are free, but registration is required [http://tclf.org/event/wotw-washingtondc].
The weekend tours will be introduced May 10, 2012 at a lecture by TCLF President and Founder Charles Birnbaum titled “The Influence of the Italian Garden on Garden Design and Landscape Preservation in America” at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens (registration required).
Washington, DC sponsor Charles Luck Stone Center will host an opening reception at their new location in Cady’s Alley in Georgetown, Thursday, May 17, 2012 (registration required). And, on May 19-20 national sponsor Le Pain Quotidien will provide free coffee coupons at their Georgetown and Dupont Circle locations for those who attend the tours.
The weekend is an extension of the What’s Out There database of America’s designed landscapes. The free, online, searchable, and vetted database hosts illustrated entries about more than 1,000 parks, gardens and open spaces throughout the US.
What’s Out There Weekend Sites
Dumbarton Oaks
Dumbarton Oaks Park
Franciscan Monastery
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
McMillan Park
Meridian Hill Park
S Street Landscapes
Spanish Steps
Textile Museum
Woodrow Wilson House
Tregaron
Tudor Place