Old Gardens of Italy 143 



VILLA BORGESE, FRASCATI. 



OR Taverna. Given to Pope Paul V. (Camillo 

 Borgese, 1605-21) by Count Taverna, Governor of 

 Rome. Shown freely. The garden is small, but 

 the disposition of the grounds retain their original 

 design. The sunk semi-circular court is good, and 

 thegiardino secreto is entered through a picturesque 

 doorway. 



The fine entrance gateway to the villa, with its 

 avenue, is now disused. 



VILLA ALDOBRANDINI, FRASCATI. 



WAS begun in 1598 for Cardinal Pietro Aldobran- 

 dini, nephew of Clement VIII. Designed by 

 Giacomo della Porta. The engineer who carried 

 out the water- works was Orazio Olivieri. Per- 

 messo obtainable at the Frascati hotels. 



The chief features of the grounds are the cascade 

 and water theatre. Dr. G. Burnet, who saw them 

 in 1686, writes: "The water-works in the Aldo- 

 brandini Palace have a magnificence in them beyond 

 all I ever saw in France, the mixture of Wind with 

 the Water and the Thunders and Storms that this 

 maketh is noble." He also refers to the water- 

 works of the Ludovisio and Monte Dragone. 

 Evelyn, who visited Frascati somewhat earlier, 

 describes Fontana's water theatre very fully, and 

 after telling how the water falls down the hillside, 

 he speaks of " an artificial grot, wherein are curious 



