The discussed examples of Maria Teresa Parpagliolo Shephard's (1903-74) work give an overview of her development as a self-taught landscape designer in Italy and England from the beginning of her professional career in the early 1930s to 1952. Although she was strongly influenced by Italy's cultural nationalism, study trips and contacts with garden designers abroad enabled her to employ cross-cultural references in her design work. However, she became involved in projects for the Fascist regime and at that time adhered to the corresponding classical design canon. In contrast, British post-War cultural politics and the Festival of Britain in 1951 created a suitable framework for Parpagliolo to break with tradition and experiment with new forms in garden design.
