How to become aware of the uniqueness of Venetian Gardens

As a child I came across an old copy dated September 1986 of the well-known Italian garden magazine Gardenia (I would like to recommend this magazine to all those who want to get to know what gardening in Italy is all about).

In a feature on "The Gardens in Venice" I came across this example of a garden situated directly on the Canal Grande, the Giardino Levi-Morenos.

Giardino Levi-Morenos, as it looks like today, situated in the Cannaregio sestiere, directly on the Grand Canal

Since then, this Garden has changed, as I could witness from the vaporetto passing by. Some trees and climbing plants were cut, but what you can still see here is a typical Venetian garden developing on different levels, from the main garden "on the ground floor" up to a "hanging terrace" that can be reached via an iron-wrought staircase. It is a secret garden as the plants succeed in shielding the "groviglio fitto di piante", as the garden was described in the Gardenia article. There are various small terraces with white garden furniture in the article, one by the canal behind the brick wall, another was further by the house, between gravel paths and red, white, pink and violet impatiens.
Here are the pictures I was really impressed of, as they show what gardens in Venice must once have been like, and what lived-in gardens are still like in Venice, in stark contrast to the città museo that we are all afraid Venice could become one day.

The plants were even fitter than they are now, and the colorful flower beds look out towards to small private landing

A wrought-iron staircase is leading up to another level: a terrace with a view, not only of the Gran Canal but also of the flower jungle below, consisting of mauves, roses, and irises...and impatiens of course...

The chiocciola staircase leading to the terrazzo sospeso: hanging terrace; white iron garden table and chairs amongst raspberry bushes, evergreen plants and white daisies.

A cool place, protected by dense vegetation, a peaceful and quiet paradise garden, a garden for life as a natural extension of the house, where flowers intermingled with kitchen gardens grow.