Villa Carpegna, 17th-century villa in Aurelio district, Rome, Italy
Villa Carpegna is a 17th-century estate in Rome's Aurelio district, made up of a main residence, a water feature known as a Nymphaeum, and tree-filled grounds with oak and pine. The buildings and open spaces are arranged in the typical manner of a Roman villa complex, with paths connecting the different parts of the property.
Cardinal Gaspare Carpegna bought the vineyard property in 1684 and brought in architect Giovanni Antonio de Rossi to design the main structures. The city of Rome later took over the estate and turned it into a public park in 1978.
The main building displays frescoes by Pier Francesco Garoli that depict the Carpegna family's estates in the Montefeltro region. These paintings visually connect this Roman property to the family's distant origins in central Italy.
The grounds are open to the public and have walking paths through the trees, so it is worth setting aside enough time to explore the whole area. The paths cross natural terrain, so comfortable shoes make the visit easier.
The Grotta dell'Asino is a Baroque underground structure with ornate arched entrances and staircases cut into the hillside. Its careful decoration shows how much attention was given even to parts of the property that visitors might easily walk past.
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