THE VILLA PAMPHILJ, ROME 



PLATES 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 



SHORT drive outside the city walls, on the Janiculum, brings us to the 

 entrance lodge of the Villa Pamphilj. From here a road leads through the 

 park to the magnificent terrace on the north side of the casino, standing high 

 above the city, with what is perhaps the finest view of St. Peter's to be ob- 

 tained, and well meriting its former name of Belrespiro. The casino itself is 

 planned upon a central axial line running almost due north and south, and 

 terminating in the mighty dome rising above the Vatican grounds. The 

 villa occupies the site of the once famous gardens of Galba, where the murdered emperor is supposed 

 to have been buried by his devoted slave Argius. About the year 1650, the villa was commenced 

 by Olimpia Pamphilj for her son Camillo. She was a woman of powerful character, who exercised 

 a great influence over her brother-in-law, Pope Innocent X., by whose aid she succeeded in 

 establishing a splendid position for herself and her family, living a life of luxury and grandeur. 

 The casino, as it stands to-day, has much to remind us of this great lady, and fortunately its 



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architecture is preserved almost unaltered. It is quite of small proportion, intended more for 

 receptions and banquets than as a dwelling-place. The casino for family use was far less 

 pretentious in appearance ; it is situated in the ilex bosco to the east. The great casino is said 

 to have been erected by Algardi from the designs of Falda, though it is probable that it 

 owes more to the former than the latter artist. Its original appearance may be well gathered 

 from the engraving of Simon Felice illustrated upon Plate 85, which shows the casino standing 

 up on a high terrace overlooking the great oblong parterre, before the lower gardens, with their 

 square hedged-in divisions, had been spoiled by modern landscape endeavours. Plans are extant 

 which show that long wings were originally designed to extend upon either side of the casino, 

 probably intended for use as sculpture and picture galleries. 



The plan of Plate 80, re-drawn from a survey kindly lent by Prince Doria, shows the 

 villa as it existed soon after it was designed, and before the great parterre had been laid out in 

 the form shown on Plates 81 and 83. This is reputed to have been the work of Le Notre when 

 he visited Rome in 1678. It is particularly French in its conception, though one cannot believe 

 that Le Notre was guilty of demolishing the older design in favour of the scrollwork pattern that 

 exists to-day. A comparison of Nolli's map, made in 1748, shows that even at this date the great 



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