Villa Montalto, Renaissance villa near Termini Station, Rome, Italy.
Villa Montalto was a Renaissance palace built on Rome's Esquiline Hill, designed by architect Domenico Fontana with expansive gardens and fountains. The building spread across multiple plots and featured decorative elements that were common in architecture of that period.
Cardinal Montalto, who later became Pope Sixtus V, built the villa in the late 1500s and made it the largest private residence within Rome's walls. The complex was torn down in the 1800s to make way for railway infrastructure.
The name comes from Cardinal Montalto, who later became Pope Sixtus V and shaped the property's character. The villa reflected how Roman nobility lived, with its large gardens and fountains that influenced the city's appearance during that era.
Nothing remains of the original villa itself, but a relocated fountain from the complex can be found near San Pietro in Montorio. Those interested in the site's history can explore the area around Termini Station, where the villa once stood.
Camilla Peretti assembled the villa's land between 1576 and 1588, a remarkable woman who acquired multiple properties and demonstrated an uncommon form of female investment in real estate during the Renaissance. Her role as patron and property developer was unusual for the era and shows how individual women influenced Rome's growth.
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