In many historical eras, gardens have been created to convey ideas that more than just an immediate intention to give pleasure. Almost all great civilizations have produced designs for gardens, pools and fountains that have gone beyond the practical needs and creation of aesthetically pleasing sights and sounds.

This thesis studies the symbolism used in most gardens of the 16th century, inspired by the book Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, written in 1499 by Francesco Colonna. The title of the Hypnerotomachya Poliphili is compounded of three Greek words, Hypnos (sleep), Eros (love), and Mache (strife). The sleep of Poliphilo, the narrator and protagonist, is the occasion for the erotic dream that comprises the entire novel. In the process of finding his lover, the protagonist explains how he adores architecture and gardens, wanders around old graveyards and delights in sculptures. This thesis narrates the novel, Hypnerotomachya Poliphili, through photographs of Italian gardens designed as stages on which the story of Poliphilo takes place. One walks around the gardens of the renaissance and sees the episodes of the story quietly performed through the fountains, sculptures and the design and the layout of the gardens.