

Open
images in Luna Commons
Interpretive Text
Interactive Plan
Bibliography
Historical Documentation
James, “Roman Rides”
James, “Roman Neighborhoods”
Lipsius, Two Bookes of Constancie

Important! Some links on this page will launch a pop window. To view the images you must adjust your browser settings to allow pop windows for the following url: lunaimaging.com. For more instructions, click here.
|
Villa Borghese
Dates: 1606–1621
Patron: Scipione Borghese, 1576–1633
Designer: Flaminio Ponzio, c. 1560–1613;
Giovanni Vasanzio, 1550–1621
Location: Europe — Italy — Lazio — Rome
Located in Rome on the Pincian Hill and overlooking the Piazza del
Popolo, the Villa Borghese and its gardens were laid out for the
Cardinal Scipione Borghese beginning in 1605. One of the most significant
features of this Baroque complex was that unlike its Renaissance
predecessors, the buildings were subordinate to the overall layout
of the grounds. The casino was designed by Flaminio Ponzio (1560–1613)
to house the Cardinal’s collection of antique sculpture. The gardens
range from the formal parterres immediately adjacent to the house
to extensive plantings of trees intersected by
allées , statues,
fountains, grottoes, and lakes. In the early nineteenth century
the park was enlarged and redesigned in the then popular English
style. In 1902 the villa and gardens were acquired by the state
and are now part of a large-scale urban park that stretches along
the Pincian hill. The casino continues to function as an art gallery
known as the Boghese Gallery, comprising not only antique sculpture
but an extensive collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings,
many of which were part of the Cardinal’s own collection.
|