picture
by courtesy of Mr Nickolay Tatarchuk
"This site, originally occupied by a Benedictine
monastery, was acquired by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este (the son of
Duke Alfonso and Lucrezia Borgia) in 1550 and converted into one
of the most important Mannerist villas. Pirro Ligorio probably began
building it c. 1560. Alterations were made in later centuries. After
1803 it was owned by the Austrian Hapsburg-Este (until 1914 it belonged
to Franz Ferdinand the heir to the throne who was murdered in Sarajevo).
It has been Italian state property since 1918. The long, three-storied
palace, with its two-storied front on the town side, is decorated
with frescos by L. Agresti, the two Zuccari, and others. However,
these are of less significance than the Mannerist garden.
Phaidon Cultural Guide
The mansion was frescoed with mythological scenes and landscapes
painted by Roman school painters such as Zuccari, Agresti, and Muziano,
to name the most prominent. The park is considered one of the finest
example of the so-called giardino all 'Italiana. Its outstanding
features are its fountains - over five hundred of them. The most
striking are: Fontana dell'Ovato symbolizing the city of Tivoli,
the Fontana dell 'Organo named for the water-powered organ it was
once equipped with, the Fontana del Bicchierone attributed to Bernini,
the Fontana dei Draghi that spewed forth an incredibly powerful
jet of water, and the Fontana delta Rometta in which the Tiberine
Island and other Roman symbols were re-created. One of the most
remarkable sites are the spouts of the "one hundred fountains"
lining the Viale delle Cento Fontane.
Guide to Italy |
