Around the middle of the century catalogues and brochures showcasing conservatories and buildyourself verandas began to appear on the market. The structures were a myriad of different shapes and sizes, featuring a vast assortment of decorative elements. Contemporary glass production methods spread its popularity, including its use in the construction of huge vaulted railway station canopies and large exhibition halls. The golden age of large greenhouses, between1830 and 1870, was when the most illustrious examples were constructed. Designed to leave their mark on the history of architecture, these magnificent structures went up all over the old continent. The best examples in Italy around theses dates are the Tepidarium in the Horticulture Garden in Florence (the Gardens of Parnassus) by the architect Giaconda Roster, the Carolina Greenhouse in Palermo’s Botanical Garden, the Greenhouse of Palazzo Corsini in Rome, the Greenhouse of Villa Giulia in Naples and the Pollone Greenhouse in Biella, belonging to the Piacenza family. The longed for little Garden of Eden now appeared to be with arm’s reach.
