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 
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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