Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
VILLA FARNESINA
Villa Farnesina was built in the early 16th century for Agostino Chigi, the immensely wealthy papal banker. Such
was his largesse, that at his banquets, he'd encourage his guests to throw their solid gold plates out of the window
once they'd finished (little did they know that servants would stand beneath the windows to catch them in nets).
The house was bought by Cardinal Alessando Farnese in 1577, hence its name.
This 16th-century villa is a classic Renaissance design featuring awe-inspiring frescoes by Sebastiano del
Piombo, Raphael and the villa's original architect, Baldassare Peruzzi, formerly Bramante's assistant.
The most famous frescoes are in the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche on the ground floor, attributed to Raphael,
who also painted the
Trionfo di Galatea
(Triumph of Galatea) depicting a beautiful sea nymph. The vaulted ceil-
ing of the room is covered with astrological scenes that depict the constellations of the stars at the time of
Agostino Chigi's birth.
On the 1st floor, Peruzzi's dazzling frescoes in the Salone delle Prospettive are a superb illusionary perspective
of a marble colonnade and panorama of 16th-century Rome.
DON'T MISS…
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Frescoes by Sebastiano del Piombo
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Raphael-attributed loggia decoration
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Peruzzi's panorama in the Salone delle Prospettive
PRACTICALITIES
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MAP
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06 6802 7268
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Via della Lungara 230
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adult/reduced €5/4
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9am-5pm Mon & Sat, 10am-2pm Tue-Fri, 9am-5pm 2nd Sun of month
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Lgt della Farnesina,
Viale di Trastevere
