Villa Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti, Baroque villa ruins in Pineta Sacchetti, Italy

Villa Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti was a Baroque residence at the foot of Monte Mario in Rome featuring three tiered gardens linked by symmetric staircases. The remaining ruins of the structure now lie partially buried underground within the public park Pineta Sacchetti and can be reached from Via della Pineta Sacchetti.

The villa was commissioned by the Florentine marchese Marcello Sacchetti, papal treasurer under Urban VIII, and designed by his fellow Tuscan Pietro da Cortona; it was completed in 1630. Within fifty years the Sacchetti and Barberini fell from favour and the building decayed into a ruin. In 1747 the family granted the estate in emphyteusis to G. Ceccarelli, and in 1859 the Sacchetti sold it to Alessandro Torlonia, who had the remaining structure demolished.

The name Pigneto comes from the pine forest (pineta) that surrounded the villa; the area is still called Pineta Sacchetti. Bernini mocked the building as a "Christmas crib" (Presepio). Today the site lies in a public park, and only ruins remain of the structure.

The ruins lie partially underground and are difficult to spot, so it helps to know the exact location before visiting the park. Wear comfortable shoes since the ground is uneven and the remains are scattered across the area.

Bernini mocked the villa as a "Christmas crib" (Presepio), a jibe at its stacked tiers of stairs, fountains and statuary. The design was one of Cortona's first architectural works and influenced later Baroque buildings, including his own plans for Palazzo Chigi and the Trevi Fountain.