CASTEL FUSANO

Parco di Castel Fusano

Castel Fusano Park

1,100 hectares (4 square miles) of pines and Mediterranean scrub

The park was established in the years 1620/34 for the Sacchetti family

It was enlarged by the Chigi family in 1755

It was acquired by the governorship of Rome and open to the public in 1933

Villa Chigi

1621/27 Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona (1597/1669) for Cardinal Giulio Sacchetti. Formerly known as Villa Sacchetti

Massive rectangular building with four low towers at the corners, built for protection against the pirates

In 1755 it was sold to the Chigi family

First Floor

Religious paintings:

CHAPEL

Dedicated to Sts. Catherine and Mary Magdalen of the Pazzi family protectors of the Sacchetti

Designed by Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona who also painted the frescoes inside with Andrea Sacchi (1599/1661) and Andrea Camassei (1602/49)

"All around the walls there are brilliantly painted landscapes with figures illustrating the life of Christ; evidently derived from Domenichino, their freedom of painting is an unexpected revelation and if they would have been in a more accessible place they would have gotten long time ago a place of honor in the development of Italian landscape painting " (Rudolf Wittkower)

Second Floor

Profane paintings:

GALLERY OF MAPS

Twelve paintings of maps in memory of the travels of the Sacchetti family

Other frescoes by Baldassarre Lauri and Francesco Lauri

Canvas "Flight into Egypt" by Carlo Maratta (1625/1713)

On the THIRD FLOOR there are large rooms

In a corner of the park: octagonal CAPPELLA DELLA SS. CONCEZIONE (Chapel of the Holy Conception)