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TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY 



THE CASCADE IN VILLA TORLONIA AT FRASCATr 



Villa Torlonia, formerly Villa Conti, 

 like the other villas at Frascati, is built 

 upon the slope of a hill and commands a 

 broad view of the Roman Campagna with 

 Rome and the dome of St. Peter's in the 

 distance. The private part of the villa 

 is to the rear of the house and above the 

 ornamental stairway. It consists of a 

 large dense grove of ilex, bay, Viburnum 

 Tinus, butcher's broom (Sarcococca) and 

 English ivy, and is interlaced with broad 

 dirt paths at right angles to each other 

 with beautiful fountains at their inter- 

 sections. As is seen in early prints these 

 paths were formerly bordered by high 

 hedges but now no trace of these re- 

 mains. On the main axis of the stairway 

 a broad central path leads through the 

 bosco or woodland to the cascade, the 

 chief feature of the villa. In comparison, 

 the water in the cascade in the Villa Al- 

 dobrandini is swifter and there is more 

 the feeling of a swift stream. The broad 

 central path leading to the cascade term- 

 inates in a large open area in front of 

 the long arcade which serves as a retain- 

 ing wall to the slope upon which the wa- 

 terfall is built. The arcade is ornamented 

 with niches each of which contains a 

 mask which spouts water into the vase 

 below and then empties into a long nar- 

 row basin in front of the retaining wall. 

 In the center of the retaining wall and 

 on axis with the main approaching alley 

 the water from several fountains falls over 

 a great baroque pile of rock-work into a 

 large semi-circular pool. Two small 

 stone bridges, one on each side of the 



semi-circular pool, lead to a tunneled 

 passage which affords an approach to the 

 terrace above and the cascade. The cas- 

 cade occupies an opening in the trees and 

 consists of a series of basins emptying 

 one into the other. On either side a wall 

 and stairway follows the curve of the cas- 

 cade. At regular intervals in the stair- 

 way small seats are placed in the wall, 

 which give an opportunity to enjoy the 

 cool shade and the play of the running 

 water. The stairway leads to the upper 

 terrace which consists of a large circular 

 opening in the natural woodland of the 

 villa. Paths radiate from this opening 

 and stone seats afford a resting place 

 under the deep shade of the ilex. In this 

 area directly above the cascade a stone 

 paved platform bounded on three sides 

 by a balustrade serves as an overlook for 

 the waterfall. In the center of the large 

 opening in the woodland a great balus- 

 traded pool, connected to the overlook 

 by means of a cobbled paved area, serves 

 as a reservoir for the water supply. One 

 broad step encircles the pool around the 

 base of the balustrade and allows one to 

 stand close to it in order to look over in- 

 to the deep clear water within, upon 

 which is reflected the nearby ilex trees 

 of the wood. At the base of this step a 

 narrow strip of stone cobble paving 

 served as a finish to the step and a tran- 

 sition from the architecture to the sur- 

 rounding dirt path. Little of this paving 

 now exists, but it offers a good example 

 of how the early architects felt the 

 necessity of sotting of architecture or 



♦Selected from Report of Edward Lavvson, Fellow in Landscape Architecture, American 

 Academy in Rome, and published by permission of the President of the American Society of 

 Landscape Architects. 



