Villa Farnesina, Renaissance villa in Trastevere, Italy
Villa Farnesina is a Renaissance building in Trastevere with elaborate decoration covering the interior walls. The ground floor features loggia galleries whose wall paintings were largely created by Raphael and his workshop.
A wealthy banker from Siena commissioned architect Baldassare Peruzzi in 1506 to design this country residence. The building arose during a period when Rome was transforming from its ancient ruins into a modern city.
The interior decoration shows mythological scenes that reflect the Renaissance fascination with ancient texts. Visitors can still see these classical themes in the wall paintings today, which reveal how people of that time thought about the world.
The villa sits near the Tiber River and is reachable on foot from the historic center. Plan enough time to explore the rooms, as the wall decorations reward careful viewing.
One special room contains wall paintings with illusionistic columns that create a false view of sixteenth-century Rome. These optical effects make the space feel larger and more open than it actually is.
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