Chasing the Rose: An Adventure in the Venetian Countryside

by Andrea di Robilant

From the author of the best-selling A Venetian Affair , here is the charming chronicle of his search for the identity of a mysterious old rose. Andrea di Robilant’s tale takes us back to the time of Josephine Bonaparte, as well as into some of the most delightful rose gardens in Italy today, brought to colorful life on the page in the watercolors of artist Nina Fuga.
 
In his 2008 biography of the Venetian lady Lucia Mocenigo (his great-great-great-great- grandmother), di Robilant described a pink rose that grows wild on the family’s former country estate, mentioning its light peach-and-raspberry scent. This passing detail led to an invitation for an audience with a local rose doyenne, Eleonora Garlant. She and other experts wondered if di Robilant’s unnamed rose could possibly be one of the long-lost China varieties that nineteenth-century European growers had cultivated but which have since disappeared. On the hunt for the identity of his anonymous yet quietly distinctive rose, Di Robilant finds himself captivated by roseophiles through time––from Lucia and her friend Josephine Bonaparte to the gifted Eleonora, whose garden of nearly fifteen hundred varieties of old roses is one of the most significant in Europe––and by the roses themselves, each of which has a tale to tell.

What starts out as a lighthearted quest becomes a meaningful journey as di Robilant contemplates the enduring beauty of what is passed down to us in a rose, through both the generosity of nature and the cultivating hand of human beings, who for centuries have embraced and extended the life of this mysterious flower.

Genres: Italy, Nonfiction, Travel, History, Gardening, Memoir, Nature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Andrea di Robilant was educated at Le Rosey and Columbia University. He now lives in Rome, working as a correspondent for the newspaper La Stampa.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming account of the author's quest to identify an anonymous but beautiful "lost" rose growing on his family's old estate. Full of delightful facts on the history and propagation of the rose, plenty to interest any rose fancier, novice or long-standing expert.

The author makes roses come alive, inspires and invites the reader to view them through his eyes, as individual personalities, each unique with a history to match.

"Scattered around the property were sixty or so natural hybrids that had come to life spontaneously in Elenora's garden―the result of secretive affairs between her roses. She did not know who the parent roses were, nor did she seem particularly interested."

"Naming a rose after a person creates an indissoluble association. When I saw the 'Empress Josephine' spread out against Elenora's corner pergola, I inevitably conjured up the real Josephine. And so it was with the other roses arrayed around it. I was no longer simply walking along a path looking at the roses on display. I had stepped into a crowded, lively room filled with roses that were looking at me."

Most enchanting to me were the portions in which Di Robilant describes his various visits to Signora Eleonora Garlant's extensive garden, where roses grow in exuberant profusion mingling happily with trees and vegetables. A magical place born of love and intuition rather than any formal design. A place I would truly love to visit and ramble through.

This book is a lovely blend of mystery, memoir, history, and personal quest. It's highly informative but never dry, constantly delightful. Recommended for any gardener or rose enthusiast. 4.5 stars

[Tisha (IG: Bluestocking629) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this book! Where do I begin?

Allow me to start with the physical book. The quality of this book is almost unparalleled. Simply gorgeous. The cover is beautiful and it was the main reason I purchased this book (more on that below). The pages are so thick I often thought I accidentally turned more than one page at a time. The illustrations, by Nina Fuga, are outstanding! I want to see more books like this!!! If you plan on getting this book and you don't have a book marker please get one. Do not dog ear this book!

And now on to the actual book. As I mentioned I purchased this book pretty much because of the cover. Pink and green with roses. Pretty much everything in my house is shabby chic and I honestly thought this would go quite nicely. I have the opposite of a green thumb and I care nothing about changing that so I didn't think this book would interest me.

Boy was I wrong.

In a nut shell this book was about one person's quest to identify an old rose.

Does that sound boring? Guess what? It is not!

I was mesmerized.

This was one part history, one part geography, one part botany and one part biography. And that my friends is the making of a perfect book!

[ΑνναΦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le follie che si fanno per i propri fiori piante non mi sono sconosciute, essendo cresciuta accanto a una mamma col pollice verde e tutto quel che ne consegue: che le piante non le bastano mai né tanto meno i fiori, le cui varietà sono pressoché infinite. Conosco bene le follie alla ricerca di vivai o riviste specializzate che ti possono fornire proprio quella rosa lì, che avevi e un inverno freddissimo e infingardo ti ha gelato, la ricerca del posto giusto dove metterla a dimora, la scelta del terriccio, l'annotazione minuziosa in apposita agenda di date di concimazione e potatura eccetera, tutte le fisse da giardiniere della domenica non mi sono sconosciute, prima, da ragazzina, le sbeffeggiavo, queste manie green, adesso le ho fatte mie, sono a mia volta una pollice verde maniaca, molto soddisfatta della sua maniacalità e molto comprensiva con quelle di altri green pazzoidi.
Tuttavia, ancora mai mi ero imbattuta in una storia così maniacale, graziosa e meritevole di menzione, come questa: una storia di famiglia, vecchi ruderi, un antico giardino inselvatichito dove resiste solo un'affascinante e aulentissima rosa a lottare contro il disfacimento. Come un cavaliere alla ricerca dell'identità di una seducente dama intravista e sparita senza aver saputo chi fosse, il nostro di Robilant inizia ricerche senza limiti per scoprire di che rosa si tratti, la famiglia, l'origine, il nome di quella pianta rigogliosissima che non ha mia visto da nessuna parte, probabilmente ritenuta estinta. Ricerche d'archivio, consulti con grandi esperti di rose a livello internazionale, consulti con appassionati coltivatori locali, nulla verrà lasciato di intentato per scoprire il nome di questa aulentissima rosa che profuma di pesca, lampone, cannella. Riusciranno i nostri eroi a venirne a capo? Si può leggere anche come un giallo, un nuovo genere, il giallogreen. Io intanto vedo se riesco a trovare una piantina di questo esemplare da metter a dimora entro il prossimo febbraio. Ognuno è rosomane a modo suo.

[Kristen Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved!

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s no exaggeration to say this is a lovely little book, evoking the heady scents and exquisite colors of antique roses as the author recounts his quest to learn the identity of the delicate pink rose, smelling of raspberries and peaches, that grows wild all over his family’s now abandoned country estate near Venice. That rose was brought to Italy from France by the author’s great-great-great-great grandmother, though the rose’s original ancestry is in China.

His grandmother got her interest in roses from Josephine Bonaparte, a dear friend, and the book is rich with fascinating rose related history stories about Josephine and other rose aficionados from 18th and 19th century Europe, a time when collectors roamed the world looking for the loveliest flowers. Readers are also introduced to Eleonora Garlant and her husband Vincent, a charming Italian couple who are spending their retirement tending to the thousands of rose varieties they have planted on their property.

I read an advanced review copy of this book so the illustrations, while beautiful, are black and white, but in the book for sale the watercolor sketches will be in full color and that should be breathtaking. The author has also written several other books including Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon, a biography of his great-great-great-great grandmother, which based on what I learned of her in this volume I am eager to read.

[Allison Burris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming little book with beautiful illustrations. I know nothing about roses and only have the most passing knowledge and interest in plants, and yet I found this book captivating. The history and anecdotes behind some of the roses is so interesting and the people Andrea meets along the way are as enchanting as the roses they cultivate.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun vicarious trip through some well-stocked gardens and enjoyable meetings with rose obsessives. The little bit of information about the original China roses was fascinating.

[Betty Notzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book recounts the author's search for the "ancestry" of a rose growing in the garden of an old family home near Venice. She's told it may date back to the time of Josephine Bonaparte, a great lover of roses, or roseophile. These "old" roses have their origin in China and have been thought lost, or at least their identity is uncertain. It's a lovely search to go on with the author. The book is beautifully designed with gorgeous illustrations by Nina Fuga lavishly spread out among the pages. A great "day spa" of a book.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read about the history of roses. Felt like the ending was really abrubt, so it’s more like 4.5 stars.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited when I received this book from the Goodreads giveaway contest. The book was described as an adventure in the Venetian countryside, so I was looking forward to reading something a little bit more like "Under the Tuscan Sun", so I was a little bit disappointed
when the writers idea of adventure differed a bit from my idea of adventure. The book was well written, but was kind of a cross between a documentary, and a rose catalogue. I felt like the book became a little bogged down in all the latin names of roses, and all of the detailed
descriptions of the many different types of roses. I enjoyed some of the characters that the writer encountered during his quest to find the origins of the "Moceniga" Rose. After reading this book, I think I would be more interested in reading the book that he wrote about his
great, great, great grandmother, Lucia, and her friendship with Empress Josephine of France, but I did not get the same rush of adventure
from reading this book. I probably would really enjoy taking a trip and visiting some of the gardens that the author described in this book, and also seeing how the illustrations would look in full color as the edition that I received was not priinted in full color.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little book that reads like a travel writing (although in this case the sketches and writing are firmly centered on glimpses of old roses and their history, especially the one family rose he was researching). I thoroughly enjoyed reading it but I also spend at least five hours each summer day obsessing over roses, either working with them in my garden or reading about them or looking at photos/illustrations of them so I’m not sure how a non-rose obsessed reader would react to the book. I greatly enjoyed the characters in the book (owners of rose gardens and historical figures who collected roses) and the bibliography in the back. Some of the plant “explorers” that brought back rose cuttings to Europe are also prominent in the history of peonies so I enjoyed how familiar some of the historical information felt since I’ve previously done research on those. Definitely a gem of a book and I’m eager to read some of his other books. Also, a beautiful cover design.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was informational and charming. I loved the old people who tended their gardens in the Italian countryside and shared information with the author. The mystery surrounding the author's great, great, great grandmother's rose kept me wanting to read more. I could picture great, great, great grandmother walking the streets of Paris visiting nurseries, attending some classes and becoming friends with Empress Josephine with whom she shared a love of roses. A gentle read.

[Jeanette Michalets · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light, enjoyable read that combines memoir, history and botany. I learned quite a bit about roses, a subject I knew very little about, and I also learned some history, to boot. The book is also nicely illustrated, something one does not find often in contemporary books. I hadn't realized that there are so many rose "collectors" in the world, nor did I know that so many of the roses we see today are hybrids of Chinese roses.

[Evelynkeirstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasurable book to read. The story was interesting, the true story of the author’s search for an unknown rose found in the woods of his ancestor’s estate in Italy, and the edition was beautifully produced. It is a hard cover edition that is of a size that fits comfortably in the hand. The paper is smooth and thicker than normal so that the pages feel nice to the touch and throughout are sprinkled lovely watercolour images. It is a book that is a real pleasure to read.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a rose found in his ancestor's house in Northern Italy that possibly came from Empress Josephine's collection. Not the China Rose, "Maiden's Blush" but a separate one.

A fascinating account of modern Rose enthusiasts and how roses were disseminated around the world from the Northern Hemisphere. Interesting and well written story.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The physical book is lovely with many illustrations. The story is somewhat compelling since it encompasses a gentle mystery, a quest to discover the origins of a particular rose, and some interesting people, specifically the obsessed owners of an incredible rose garden. However, the writing is wooden and underlying snobbishness spoils the narrative.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrea di Robillant ci accompagna in un viaggio alla scoperta della storia di una rosa misteriosa.
Questo libro, ricco di utili informazioni sulle rose e di cenni storici (in particolare dell’epoca napoleonica), mi è risultato veramente piacevole.
Consigliato soprattutto agli amanti del fiore più bello che c’è: la rosa.

[MaryJo Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book about roses. the author traces their history and the different varieties as he wanders thru the Venetian countryside looking at rose gardens and meeting the people who are passionate about them. I don't know much about roses but I still found this book interesting and enjoyable.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, unexpected and so beautifully written! The lovely little book about the quest to find the origin of a family rose was so much fun and made me feel like I was on the adventure with him. Now I want to add a rose or two to my garden! This was a great read!

[Barbara Levy · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any rose lover

A delightful, well written, absolutely engaging story and just a joy to read! As a new rosarían, I went back and reread the book with a different eye and it was even more interesting than the first time!!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a fun read before a trip to Italy. You have to like roses though - a lot of rose history and stuff - I enjoyed it though.

[Alaska · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of roses ,history and Italy I enjoyed this.
A short easy read for the Rose lover and travel lover alike. Vaguely nostalgic and interisting.

[Susan Dinan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful interweaving the histories of families and a man's quest to identify and catalogue a rose.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Human history through the lives of roses.

[Tullan Holmqvist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting book on an interesting topic, how the rose spread around the world.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant read and fitting for early June. Leaves one knowing there is a great deal more to learn about roses.
As interesting as the blooms are the people who cherish them.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for rose lovers. Charming story with tons of interesting info on old / found roses.

[Barbara Greaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book about Italy and Italian roses.

[Ame · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love discussing roses but the writing style had me a little bored.

[Charlene Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable adventure for those who love roses