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Also known as Belvedere, Villa Aldobrandini dates back to the sixteenth century and is located in Frascati, on a panoramic hill overlooking the entrance to the town.

THE VILLA

It was built for Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini and its construction by architect Giacomo della Porta took four years, from 1598 to 1602. It was completed around 1621 by the architects Carlo Maderno and Giovanni Fontana.
Inside the villa you can admire frescoes by Baroque and Mannerist artists. The noble floor of the palace, with the adjoining chapel, is finely frescoed and decorated – the coats of arms of the Aldobrandini and Borghese families are also present.

THE GARDEN

The Italian garden features a 27.000-square foot nymphaeum with fountains and terraces on several levels.
The huge and spectacular Water Staircase, behind the “Teatro delle Acque”, with two columns on the top, symbolizes the Columns of Hercules.

The “Teatro delle Acque” is full of niches with columns and grooves, decorations, statues, and waterworks, including Atlas, a Cyclops, and a Centaur.

The giant Enceladus, a chapel dedicated to the patron saint of the Aldobrandini, and the Apollo Room, with paintings and decorations, are just as interesting.

There is a reproduction of the Parnaso made with wooden figurines, stuccos, and wrought iron flowers.
The stables, once a place for the promotion of art and culture, have recently gained more importance thanks to the opening of the new Tuscolano Museum, rich in local archaeological findings.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)