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<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Villa Madama fuori Porta Angelica</TITLE> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="A description of Villa Madama fuori Porta Angelica in an etching by Giuseppe Vasi and as it is today"> <META NAME="name" CONTENT="A description of Villa Madama fuori Porta Angelica in an etching by Giuseppe Vasi and as it is today"> <META NAME="author" CONTENT="romeartlover"> <META NAME="generator" CONTENT="FreeFormEditor 1.0"> <style>body, html { margin:0; padding:0; color:#0D1138; background:#a7a09a; } #wrap { width:960px; margin:0 auto; padding:0; background:#F0EA92; } #header { background-image: url("Bghall.jpg");} #nav { background:#F0EA92; } #main { background:#F0EA92; padding:0; } #sidebar { background:#cc9; } #footer { background:#cc9; } #main { float:left; width:200px; background-image: url("Bghall.jpg"); } #sidebar { float:right; width:760px; background-image: url("Bgvas184.jpg"); } #footer { clear:both; background:#cc9; } table { background-image: url("Bghall.jpg"); font-weight: bold;} td { padding: 4px; border: thin solid DarkGoldenRod; vertical-align: top;} caption { caption-side:center;} </style><link rel="stylesheet" href="prova2.css"> </HEAD> <body> <div id="wrap"> <div id="header"></div> <div id="nav"></div> <div id="main"></div> <div id="sidebar"></div> <div id="footer"></div> </div> <div id="wrap"> <div id="header"><div class="boxed"><h1><em>Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller</em></h1></div></div> <div id="nav"> <ul class="nav site-nav"> <li class="flyout"><a href=#>About this Website</a> <ul class="flyout-content nav stacked"> <li><a href="index.html">Home</a></li> <li><a href="Romeartlover.html">About & Feedback</a></li> <li><a href="Hallfame.html">Hall of Fame</a></li> <li><a href="Biblio.html">Bibliography</a></li> <li><a href="Glossary.html">Glossary</a></li> </ul> <li class="flyout"> <a href="#">Vasi's Roman Views</a>  <ul class="flyout-content nav stacked"> <li><a href="Books.html">Rome in 10 Books</a></li> <li><a href="View.htm">View of Rome</a></li> <li><a href="Map.html">Map of Rome</a></li> <li class="flyout-alt"><a href="#">Other Views</a>  <ul class="flyout-content nav stacked"> <li><a href="Vasigrs1.html">Roman Forum</a></li> <li><a href="Vasigrs4.html">The Vatican</a></li> <li><a href="Vasigrs2.html">Aventine Hill</a></li> <li><a href="Vasigrs3.html">S. 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Write to <a href="mailto:romapip@quipo.it">romapip@quipo.it</a>.<p class="stacco"> <a href="New.htm"><img class="displayed" src="Newnuovo.jpg" title="See the most recent additions to this website" height=135 width=180></a> <p class="stacco"><a href="superind.html"><img class="displayed" src="Sitemap.jpg" height=135 width=180 title="See a detailed list of this website pages"></a></p> <p class="stacco">Notes:<p class="stacco">Page revised in July 2020. </div> </div> <div id="sidebar"><div class="boxed"> <img src="Minivas2.jpg" width=220 height=120 title="Vasi at work"><em><strong><span>  Villa Madama fuori Porta Angelica</span><br>   (Vasi at work in the <a href="Aev4.htm">Grand View of Rome</a>)</em> <p><p class="stacco"> Links to this page can be found in <a href="Book10.html">Book 10</a>, <a href="Day8.htm">Day 8</a> and <a href="Ac3.htm">View C3</a>. <p class="stacco"> The page covers:<br><a href="#The Plate">The plate by Giuseppe Vasi</a> <br><a href="#Today">Today's view</a> <br><a href="#Villa Madama">Villa Madama</a> <br><a href="#Museo del Genio">Museo dell'Arma del Genio</a> <p class="stacco"><a NAME="The Plate"></a><h4>The Plate (No. 184)</h4> <p class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184.jpg" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" title="The Plate showing Villa Madama fuori Porta Angelica" height=464 width=730> <p class="stacco">Villa Madama is located between <a href="Vasi19.htm#The Plate">Porta Angelica</a> and <a href="Vasi84.htm#The Plate">Ponte Milvio</a>; when in 1760 Giuseppe Vasi visited it he found the site in such poor condition that he decided to leave a record of the building for future generations; he therefore included a <a href="Vasi185.htm#The Plate">second view</a> and a plan of Villa Madama in his last book of etchings. At the time the villa belonged to the King of Naples, who inherited it from his mother, the last of the Farnese; similar to <a href="Vasi73.htm#The Plate">Palazzo Farnese</a> and <a href="Vasi197.htm#The Plate">Orti Farnesiani</a> the villa was eventually stripped of its works of art which were sent to <a href="Caserta.html">Caserta</a> and Naples to embellish the royal palaces. The etching shows a spontaneous vegetation creeping along the small roofs of the circular courtyard and the casino gives the impression of being closed. <br>In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) Main casino designed by Raphael and completed by Giulio Romano; 2) circular courtyard which was not completed; 3) side towards the hill (<a href="Vasi129b.htm#The Plate">Monte Mario</a>). The small late XIXth century map here below shows: 1) Villa Madama; 2) site of today's Museo dell'Arma del Genio; 3) Ponte Molle (Milvio). 3) is shown in another page. <p class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vas184p2.jpg" title="Small images" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=232 width=580> <p class="stacco"> <a NAME="Today"></a><h4>Today</h4> <p class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184f.jpg" title="The view today" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=420 width=730> <em><h2>The view in July 2010</em></h2> <p class="stacco">Villa Madama was acquired by the Italian State in the 1930s; it is now used by the Italian Foreign Office for dinners, conferences and for hosting prominent visitors; for security reasons the premises are not open to the public and only the upper part of the casino is visible from a great distance. To the right of the building there is evidence of a modern terrace. <P class="stacco"> <a NAME="Villa Madama"></a><h4>Villa Madama</h4> <P class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184g.jpg" title="Modern entrance to Villa Madama" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=420 width=730> <em><h2>Modern entrance to Villa Madama</em></h2> <p class="stacco">According to Vasi, Villa Madama was the first of its kind in Rome; while it is true that <a href="Vasi181.html#The Plate">Casino del Belvedere</a> was built a few years earlier, the design of the former anticipated those of many later villas, while the latter had the outer appearance of a small castle.<br>Villa Madama was built by Cardinal Giuliano de' Medici on the site of a farm bought by his cousin <a href="Storia20.html#Leo">Pope Leo X</a>; the casino was designed by Raphael, while Antonio da Sangallo the Younger gave advice on the structures needed for terracing the hill; after the death of Raphael, his pupil Giulio Romano completed and decorated the casino. <p class="stacco"><a name="Farnese"></a> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184m.jpg" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" title="Statues" height=451 width=730> <em><h2>Archaeological Museum of Naples - <a href="Vasi73.htm#Collection">Farnese Collection</a> - statues from Villa Madama: (left) Jupiter (fragment); (right) leg of a console table portraying <a href="Sperlonga2.html#Scylla">Scylla</a>, a sea monster</em></h2> <P class="stacco">In 1523 Cardinal Giuliano de' Medici was elected <a href="Storia20.html#Clement VII">Pope Clement VII</a> and after his death in 1534 the villa was inherited by Alessandro de' Medici and eventually by Margaret his widow; she was the natural daughter of Emperor Charles V and later on she married Ottavio Farnese, grandson of <a href="Storia21.html#Farnese">Pope Paul III</a>. <em>Madama</em> is a reference to Margaret which applies also to <a href="Vasi70.htm#Madama">Palazzo Madama</a>, but this second property returned to the Medici after her death. <P class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184i.jpg" title="Plan of the casino by Giuseppe Vasi, showing that the building was very small " style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=480 width=730><em><h2>Plan of the casino by Giuseppe Vasi, showing that the building was very small</em></h2> <P class="stacco"><em>The place has become the shabbiest farmhouse, with muddy water in the old <em>pi鑓es d'eau</em> and dunghills on the old parterres. The "feature" is the contents of the loggia: a vaulted roof decorated by Giulio Romano; exquisite stucco-work and still brilliant frescoes; arabesques and figurini, nymphs and fauns, animals and flowers - gracefully lavish designs of every sort. Much of the colour - especially the blues - still almost vivid, and all the work wonderfully ingenious, elegant and charming. Apartments so decorated can have been meant only for the recreation of people greater than any we know, people for whom life was impudent ease and success. Margaret Farnese was the lady of the house, but where she trailed her cloth of gold the chickens now scamper between your legs over rotten straw. It is all inexpressibly dreary.</em><br>You may wish to read more of <a href="James.html#Madama">Henry James' account of his visit to Villa Madama in 1873</A>. <P class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184n.jpg" title="Official photo" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=401 width=594><em><h2>Official photo of a press conference in the loggia designed by Raphael at Villa Madama in March 2014. The image used as background for this page shows one of the niches of the loggia</em></h2> <P class="stacco"> <a NAME="Museo del Genio"></a><h4>Museo dell'Arma del Genio</h4> <P class="stacco"> <img class="displayed" SRC="Vasi184h.jpg" title="Fa鏰de" style="border:5px solid DarkGoldenRod" height=440 width=730> <em><h2>Fa鏰de</em></h2> <p class="stacco">The area at the foot of the hill where Villa Madama is situated was developed in the 1930s and it retains some examples of the monumental style which characterized that period, e.g. <a href="Vasi185.htm#Foro Italico">Foro Italico</A>; the project for this building was developed by Gennaro de Matteis, an officer of Arma del Genio (Military Engineering). You may wish to see a page on <a href="Eur.html">EUR</a> for more examples of this style. <P class="stacco"> Next plate in Book 10: <a href="Vasi185.htm#The Plate">Secondo Prospetto del Casino di Villa Madama</a>.<br> Next step in Day 8 itinerary: <a href="Vasi185.htm#The Plate">Secondo Prospetto del Casino di Villa Madama</a>. <p class="stacco">Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page: <p class="stacco"> <table class="center"><tbody><tr><td width=700><em> <h6><a href="#The Plate">Villa Madama</a></h6> <h5> Il Card. Giulio de' Medici eresse il nobilissimo casino di questa gran villa col disegno di Raffaello da Urbino; ma passato questo all'altra vita, e assunto quello al Pontificato, rimase imperfetto dalla parte di levante, ove si vede il principio di un magnifico cortile in forma di teatro ornato di colonne. Nelle logge, che sono dall'altra parte vi sono delli stucchi lavorati egregiamente da Gio. da Udine con bassirilievi e prospettive a similitudine degli antichi, che sono stati veduti nelle rovine del Colosseo, ed altrove; e nella sala sonovi delle pitture a fresco di Giulio Romano. Questa delizia gode tutti li prati Quinzj, e il corso del Tevere fin dal ponte molle, e da una loggia nell'alto della macchia si scopre mirabilmente tutta Roma. Spetta ora al mio Sovrano il Re delle due Sicilie. <br> Quindi scendendo al basso, e proseguendo il cammino per lo stradone alberato verso <a href="Vasi84.htm#The Plate">Ponte molle</a>, si vedono a sinistra delle vigne. </h5> </em></td></tr></tbody></table> <br> <br> </div> </div> <div id="footer"><div class="boxed"><p class="stacco"><h2>Other pages/sections which might be of interest to you:</h2>                                      <a href="View.htm"><img src="Minivasv.jpg" width=220 height=120 title="View of Rome"></a><a href="Umbereco.html"><img src="Minihist.jpg" width=220 height=120 title="Abridged History of Rome"></a><a href="Eur.html"><img src="Minieur.jpg" width=220 height=120 title="Eur"></a><h2>See you at another page of this website!</h2></p></div></div></body> </HTML>