VILLA CONTI 



Of all the hills surrounding the city of Rome those in the neighbourhood 

 of Frascati are the most accessible, and possess the most delicious air. 

 The advantages of this site were recognised at an early period, and the 

 hill-sides were covered with villas, conspicuous amongst which were the 

 pleasant country houses of LucuUus and Cicero, supposed to have been 

 built upon the ground now occupied by the Villas Conti, Aldobrandini, 

 Muti, and Montalto. The exquisite air, the abundance andpurity of the 

 water, the charm of the situation, all combined to lead the nobility of 

 Rome to build on this spot their beautiful palaces with the accompanying 

 magnificent gardens. To this day it is at Frascati, at Marino, or at 

 Albano that the Romans are in the habit of spending the autumn season, 

 in order to escape from the vitiated atmosphere of the city, and to breathe 

 the pure air of the mountains. 



On the outskirts of Frascati, to the right of the high road that leads 

 to Marino and Rocca di Papa, is the entrance to the Villa Conti ; a villa 

 that appears to have suffered less from the innovations of fashion or the 

 devastating hand of Time than perhaps any other. 



The principal alterations took place during the first hundred years of 

 its existence ; since then it has remained almost unchanged. This may 

 be seen by reference to the drawings and bird's-eye views which were 

 made by Falda, Matteo Greuter, Blaeu, and Rossi during the first half of 

 the seventeenth century. These show the palace with the fountain and 

 projecting terrace in front of it, the cascade or cascatella, and the great 

 fountain-reservoir as they are now. But the beautiful series of stairways 

 on a line with the palace had yet to be built. 



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