| Villa Aldobrandini | |
|---|---|
 The façade of Villa Aldobrandini | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| General information | |
| Location | Rome |
| Coordinates | 41°48′12.4″N12°40′58.9″E / 41.803444°N 12.683028°E /41.803444; 12.683028 |
TheVilla Aldobrandini is avilla inFrascati, Italy. It is still owned and lived in by theAldobrandini family, and known as Belvedere for its location overlooking the valley toward the city of Rome.
It is the only grandPapal garden not owned by the state.[clarification needed]
Roman prelate Alessandro Rufini built the original villa in 1550.Pope Clement VIII gave his nephew CardinalPietro Aldobrandini the villa in 1598[1] as a reward for the negotiations he undertook with France that resulted in the peace treaty of 1595 and for his role in annexingFerrara to thePapal States.
Aldobrandini commissioned the Roman architectGiacomo della Porta to convert the villa into suitable accommodation in which a Cardinal could live and also entertain a Pope. Works started in 1598.[2] While the core of the villa was completed by the time of Giacomo della Porta's death in 1603, work continued for another 20 years on the various aspects of the villa and the garden under the supervision ofCarlo Maderno, who added the loggia,[3] andGiovanni Fontana.
The villa is aligned with the cathedral down its axial avenue that is continued through the town as Viale Catone. The villa has an imposing 17th century facade and some other interesting architectural and environmental features, such as the double gallery order on the rear facade, the spiral-shaped flights, the large exedra of the Water Theatre and a magnificent park.
Inside the villa are paintings ofMannerist andBaroque artists likeTaddeo Zuccari and his brotherFederico,Cavalier D'Arpino andDomenichino. On the grounds is a monumental gate byCarlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (early 18th century).
A noted feature of the garden is the Teatro delle Acque ("Water Theater") by Carlo Maderno andOrazio Olivieri. To provide water for this feature and for the rest of the garden, Aldobrandini constructed a new 8 kilometres (5 mi) long aqueduct from the Modena spring on Monte Algido to the villa.[4]
The top of the garden in the villa has remained derelict and damaged since the American bombing during the Allied invasion in World War II, and the fountains of Teatro delle Acqua sustained damage as well from the bombing, with current owner Prince Camillo Aldobrandini's father carrying out repairs to the fountains shortly after. However, having used cement, the fountains were in a bad state when Prince Camillo began restoration works in 2011. Prince Camillo stated thatNapoleon, who was related to the Aldobrandini's through marriage, took statues that were all along the top of the balustrade of the Teatro and said he would pay Aldobrandini after coming back from Russia.[5]
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