04 
House & Garden 
VILLA OF THE 
ITALIAN 
RENAISSANCE 
The Villa Caprarola and Its Tradition Afford a Re¬ 
markable Study of Italian Gardening in a Classical Era 
RALPH E. GRISWOLD 
r'A.R. 
I T IS rare that one finds a garden 
unit as well adapted to its special 
purpose and situation as the Upper 
Garden of the Farnese Villa at Caprarola. 
Complete in itself, it is the most unique 
part of the great Villa Caprarola, the 
stupendous dream of an ambitious Car¬ 
dinal and one of the finest villas of the 
Italian Renaissance. 
The Cardinal, Alessandro Farnese, be¬ 
cause of his delicate health was advised 
by the doctors of his uncle, Pope Paul 
the Third, to rest for a time in the quiet 
and invigorating air of Monte Cimini 
where “there were the best hygienic con¬ 
ditions, the purest of air, a picturesque 
horizon, a delicious freshness and enchant¬ 
ing silence, broken only by the songs of 
birds and the chatter of industrious peas¬ 
ants. Such a fortunate retreat was found 
in the town of Caprarola, about seventv- 
five kilometers north of Rome. Here for 
a time the Cardinal established himself in 
the Palazzetto della Cancelleria. But since 
these accommodations could not satisfy, 
even for a brief time, the taste of so mag¬ 
nificent a Cardinal, the great architect 
Vignola and the famous brothers Zuccari 
were called to collaborate in the creation 
of a palace, which, to use the Cardinal's 
own words, “Should stupefy the world”. 
It was a time when colossal villas were 
being erected on the Alban and Sabine 
slopes and in the close vicinity of Rome. 
There was no question of what style or 
period to adopt; it remained for the ar¬ 
chitect to apply what he could from the 
classic tradition to his immediate problem. 
Thus the precarious health of a great 
Cardinal gave occasion for the creation 
of one of the greatest masterpieces of pa¬ 
latial architecture and gardening. The 
palace was begun in 1547 and in 1559 it 
was complete. 
After the death of Alessandro, in 1592, 
Grotesque water gods guard the 
jountain and basin in front of 
the Casino. The huge rose is 
12' in height 
At regidar intervals along the 
wall are colossal caryatides, 
16' high, of rough, vigorous 
sculpturing 
Below is a glimpse of the terrace in 
front of the Casino. Box parterres, turf 
walls and gently ascending steps make 
the approach to this remarkable 
garden house 
