Caprarola, Renaissance town in Province of Viterbo, Italy
Caprarola is a town in the Province of Viterbo centered around Villa Farnese, a building with pentagonal shape and a circular interior courtyard. Extensive formal gardens surround the villa and shape the look of the entire area.
A cardinal planned a fortress in 1530, but the project paused when he became pope in 1534. Work resumed later, and the villa took decades to complete.
The frescoes inside the villa display botanical drawings, mythological scenes, and maps from the 1500s spread across many rooms. These paintings show how the family saw the world and valued learning and art.
The town sits on a hillside and is easy to walk around once you arrive. The villa and its gardens can be seen in a few hours, and comfortable shoes help for the stairs and slopes.
The villa was originally planned as a fortress but evolved into a display of art and power through its design and decoration. This shift from military to ornamental makes it stand out as unusual for its time.
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