Pergolas are a shady, garden structure whose beginnings date back to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and were common features in early Renaissance gardens throughout Europe. Their primary purpose was to provide >>shade>> on walkways, terraces, or pools. The earlier versions were often constructed from stone pillars with wooden cross-beams with a lattice roof. It was common to see ivy, grapevines, or other climbing >>plants>> winding around the wood, and filling the open spaces between the lattice. Today>>>