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Touring Vizcaya in Miami

Bob visits Vizcaya, a remarkable Italian Renaissance-style "palace" with formal gardens situated in Miami. Industrialist James Deering spent an amazing $20 million between 1914 and 1916 on Vizcaya. Doris Littlefield, the head curator, gives Bob a tour of the villa. Starting in the East Loge room facing Biscayne Bay. The house�s seventy rooms are designed around a center courtyard. Many of the home�s architectural pieces were antiques imported from Italy. The estate�s grounds, originally 180 acres, are now composed of 12 acres of gardens, some formal with 17th century sculptures.
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Touring Vizcaya in Miami

  computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" This is a very special place of course we've arrived by water as some of them -- original owners. Yes might have arrived what rumor we have here -- in these Florio. Overlooking Biscayne that. Tell me about this floor. It's a beautiful floor it gives you a three dimensional feeling. It's patterned. After a seventeenth century now rock. -- exquisite but it's a modern. Floor a modern to 1968 intern and then let -- talk about the architectural plan of the house."

" The houses patterned after. Late renaissance. Italian villa. A country house -- country. Built around a great central courtyard. Of all the rooms opening to the courtyard. How many rooms are there. Well let's change."

" We say examining rooms but that doesn't through all the service rooms to care. So the courtyard itself it it would have been a reception area if you were coming by land where would you have entered you have it would have entered from the main door on the west side of the building."

" Behind this screen wall behind well."

" So this fountain is just to screen now is this also 1916 years and older own all the problems itself. Is very early seventeenth century Italian Italian."

" Notice the dolphins yeah perfect for a house plan of the -- right."

" And the wear on the edge of the fountain ledge here. Unbelievable I didn't hear from years has years of people's arms coming up for the house really -- a mixture of ancient and antique building elements with -- out. Now I know that most of the rooms that these guys."

" Are not available to our camera and to the lighting required but. Obviously they're all open to the public for anyone who comes to visit here in Miami."

" Could you let us have a -- may -- at one little area yes sir let's go to the tea room."

" The ceiling and the hero in this neo classical style beautiful but these gates are unbelievable. Aren't they handsome they came from the pros on. And --"

" Your -- late seventeenth century state seventeenth century so the whole feeling here is Evan -- classical."

" Room that's right and then painted canvas wall panels reflect that design can."

" These are scenes of benefits. Are there whimsical. They're imaginary snatchers imagine. Unbelievable so this is a religious would have been set up -- tea in the afternoon that's. What -- flanking him as the so they must have done a lot of entertaining here yes indeed. I'm used to hearing panel's 24 Simpson -- music and just a few of them right here that is this is the butler's pantry -- kitchen on the other -- original second floor so it was -- that's right and you could have dined upstairs or down here in the dining room Courtney -- on alone in this him. And one of the things I remember them coming here is this China cupboard which has all the the China from his yacht yes yeah and you can see the name. Right on the China under China and mister hearing not urging. And the New York -- Indeed and then it's written it's over so it won't chip so she went a lot of stuff. Could we take a quick look at his guard Lewiston."

" How many acres of gardens are there at -- guy. Well now we now brought -- acres of formal gardens but originally these state comprised -- 180 acres. -- made that include the form with this little garden well this is called secret garden. And it was a a typical idea of a renaissance garden he gave -- area. A place to come and be casual away from the formality. Of the main garden."

" Our beautiful."

" Well in the aftermath of hurricane Andrew. We're starting to -- some replanting. But we're fortunate that our seventeenth century Italian statuary. Survived the storm. It's gorgeous. It's all limestone isn't it yes it is limestone S cents down."

" And then your replanting part chairs down in here which are formal. Low growing -- that's right."

" And we're using exactly the same plant material that James Taylor will look like."

" It's a native jazz. You couldn't use box would they do we are -- it would not survive there."

" Doris what state the nature of an Italian garden."

" Its own stone greenery and water."

" They really don't feature flowers and the stone that's used here at vizcaya is native coral rock that's right. You most of it was carved right here on the site it's excellent well where to next."

" Well let's go off the water stairway and see the casino."

" Well I can see why they call underwater barricade near this beautiful wooden. Patterned after wanted to know -- me wrong."

" And what do we call this structure this is being casino or little garden house it provided a destination for a walk in the gardens."

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