Rome's largest public landscaped park, the Villa Doria Pamphili, takes up an area of around 2 square kilometers. It was originally owned by the family that gave the park it's name, then bought by the City of Rome at the end of the twentieth century.
This attractive area is a wonderful place to jog or take a slow stroll, as well as one of the best places in the city for bird watching.
This area has a long history, dating from before 1630, when it was referred to as the Villa Veccie. At this time, it was purchased by Panfilo Panfili, as well as the vineyards around it.
This act created a huge holding, standing on the high ground above Rome itself, and providing amazing views of the city. The owner and his family used the villa as their own private suburban resort.
A new villa was begun in 1644 on the site by the then Pope's nephew. Work on it progressed until 1652, with design elements used to complement both the site's ancient sculptures and its contemporary decor and artworks.
Today, most of these works of art are in the Capitoline Museum, but some persist at the site. If you visit the villa, you'll see a crowded Baroque exterior, with windows alternating with niches filled with statuary and busts. There are also bas relief panels that look back to older Mannerist styles.
Inside, there are even more bas reliefs, as well as frescoes of Roman history. Around 1650, gardens were laid out in a sequence of connected areas around the villa, and extending to lower levels. At one point there were statues placed here, but much of the area is now grassy instead.
Other later features include fountains and gateways, giving the gardens a real complexity. You can still hear music from the 16th and 17th centuries at the Villa Doria Pamphili, in its Giardino del Teatro.
Most of the gardens around the Villa Doria Pamphili are currently planted in the way they might have been in the sixteenth century, featuring wide graveled walkways and closely cut greenery. At one point, a number of ancient Roman tombs were located on the site, but over the centuries, they've been excavated and their contents placed elsewhere.
This lush, beautiful park was once surprisingly the site of a lot of violence. Hand to hand fighting during the short Roman Republic period of the 19th century reached up to the outskirts of the city and the fortified villas located there. The Villa Doria Pamphili was close to some of the worst combat, but it survived, where neighboring properties did not.
The then-owner of the villa took advantage of his neighbors' misfortune, buying up neighboring lands and making the Villa Doria Pamphili's size even bigger. In these neighboring structures, art exhibitions are held. The villa itself remains open to the public housing antiquities and sculptures from its long history.
Anyone on a trip to Rome needs to take the time to check out the Villa Doria Pamphili. This amazing Roman park is something anyone in the area should see.
This attractive area is a wonderful place to jog or take a slow stroll, as well as one of the best places in the city for bird watching.
This area has a long history, dating from before 1630, when it was referred to as the Villa Veccie. At this time, it was purchased by Panfilo Panfili, as well as the vineyards around it.
This act created a huge holding, standing on the high ground above Rome itself, and providing amazing views of the city. The owner and his family used the villa as their own private suburban resort.
A new villa was begun in 1644 on the site by the then Pope's nephew. Work on it progressed until 1652, with design elements used to complement both the site's ancient sculptures and its contemporary decor and artworks.
Today, most of these works of art are in the Capitoline Museum, but some persist at the site. If you visit the villa, you'll see a crowded Baroque exterior, with windows alternating with niches filled with statuary and busts. There are also bas relief panels that look back to older Mannerist styles.
Inside, there are even more bas reliefs, as well as frescoes of Roman history. Around 1650, gardens were laid out in a sequence of connected areas around the villa, and extending to lower levels. At one point there were statues placed here, but much of the area is now grassy instead.
Other later features include fountains and gateways, giving the gardens a real complexity. You can still hear music from the 16th and 17th centuries at the Villa Doria Pamphili, in its Giardino del Teatro.
Most of the gardens around the Villa Doria Pamphili are currently planted in the way they might have been in the sixteenth century, featuring wide graveled walkways and closely cut greenery. At one point, a number of ancient Roman tombs were located on the site, but over the centuries, they've been excavated and their contents placed elsewhere.
This lush, beautiful park was once surprisingly the site of a lot of violence. Hand to hand fighting during the short Roman Republic period of the 19th century reached up to the outskirts of the city and the fortified villas located there. The Villa Doria Pamphili was close to some of the worst combat, but it survived, where neighboring properties did not.
The then-owner of the villa took advantage of his neighbors' misfortune, buying up neighboring lands and making the Villa Doria Pamphili's size even bigger. In these neighboring structures, art exhibitions are held. The villa itself remains open to the public housing antiquities and sculptures from its long history.
Anyone on a trip to Rome needs to take the time to check out the Villa Doria Pamphili. This amazing Roman park is something anyone in the area should see.
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