HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION 



7 



From these minutely descriptive accounts of Pliny \vc are enablea to form an excellent idea 

 of the appearance of all countr)- villas, which hardly varied in style and only changed in the dispo- 

 sition of their parts, dictated by the shape and contour of the sites. These were uivariably well chosen, 

 especially with regard to the season of the year during which they would be occupied. A hillside has 

 always been an attractive situation for villa-building to the Italians, and, apart from its healthiness, it 

 affords great opportunities fur garden displa)- In the construction of terrace \\-alks and in the arrange- 

 ment and distribution of water. On the other hand, a level site affords greater opportunities for large 

 display. The house and domestic offices generally stood upon the highest ground, and the buildings 

 ^vere for tlie most part low, besides being detached and scattered. They seldom rose above two 

 stones, and, consisting of so large a number of buildings, they occupied avast space; sometimes it 

 was necessary to find lodging for as many as a thousand persons, Including slaves and freedmen. 



Roman writers mention two kinds of \-illas, the villa nisfira, or farmhouse, and the vi/Ia 

 itrbaiia^ a suburban or country pleasure-house, and occasionally the two types were combined. The 

 villa rusfica comprised the farmers house, \\'\\\\ a collection of buildings, stables, barns, and 

 dwellings for slaves, with their adjoining orchards, oli\-cyards, and vineyards, all designed upon 

 strictl)- utilitarian lines. T\\t villa urbujiu, on the other hand, would invariabl)- be surrounded by its 

 pleasure gardens in the immediate vicinity of the house itself. A sloping site was usually selected for 

 these country \-illas, giving the utmost scope for the displa)- of terraces and for the decorative treat- 

 ment of ^\•atcr, for the Romans always delighted in the presence of cooling fountains and cascades. 



The life of the rich Roman patricians full of the affairs of State generally afforded but ^c\v 

 opportunities for the enjoyment of country life ; their villas were, therefore, principally situated in the 

 environs of the metropolis; seldom content with the possession of only a single villa, their luxurious 

 lives generally demanded, in addition to the town-house, at least two or three other villas, all sump- 

 tuously appointed and furnished to suit the varied changes of mood or -reason, for winter or summer 

 use, at the seaside, or near the mountains. The Roman love of the country during autunui time still 

 survives in the annual ' villeggiatura,' which is so essential a feature in the life of a modern Italian. 



Tibur, or Tivoli, some twenty miles from Rome, was, on account of its easy accessibility, 

 bracing position, and beautiful scenery, a very favourite resort, and many \-iHas were erected there 

 during the later period of the Republic and the days of the early Cassars. Of these villas few 

 remains now exist, but among the must Important was the \-ilIa uf r^Lccenas. Catullus had an 

 estate in the neighbourhood, and the supposed site of his villa is still pointed out in the valley of 

 .Monte Catillo. Horace had a villa here, besides his Sabine farm, and TIbur is ako asbociated with 

 the beautiful Queen Zenoblu, who passed some years in captive retirement, leading the quiet life of a 

 Roman matron. In the neighbourhood was Hadrian's famous villa. 



Besides Tibur, there were many other towns where the Roman aristocracy built their villas 

 principall)- in the Sabine and iYlban Mountains, east and south-cast of Rome. And the Roman 

 Campagna, too, was by no means the deserted waste of later ages: even to this day remains of 

 luxurious villas lie dotted over the vast plain. Laurentium, Subhupieum (Subiaco), Antium, Centum- 



