Thursday, November 12, 2020

FRASCATI

Altitude 327 m (1,070 feet). 20,000 inhabitants

The inhabitants of the nearby Tusculum settled here living in huts ("in frascata")

Scuderie Aldobrandini

Aldobrandini Stables

Inaugurated in 2000 after renovation to transform it into a museum designed by Massimiliano Fuksas (1944)

GROUND FLOOR

Artifacts from prehistory to the Middle Ages including "Fragment of head of youth" of the late first century BC

FIRST FLOOR

Models of villas around Frascati (Ville Tuscolane) and statues "Braschi Dionysus", "Drunken Satyr" and "Papposilenus restored as Hercules" all dating back to the second century AD

Cattedrale di S. Pietro

Cathedral of St. Peter

1596/1636 maybe by Prospero De Rocchi for Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592/1605)

Consecrated in 1680

FAÇADE

1698/1700 Girolamo Fontana (1668/1701) for Cardinal Carlo Colonna and Innocent XII Pignatelli (1691/1700). Girolamo Fontana was nephew of Carlo Fontana and architect of the Galleria Colonna in Rome

The towers were built later

Bas-relief above the main door "Christ rebukes St. Peter" 1704 by Bernardino Cametti (1669/1736)

Sandstone statues in the niches of the façade 1697/1700

INTERIOR dating back to the end of the sixteenth century fully restored after the destructive bombing of the Allied Forces during World War Two

1st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. ISIDORE

1753 Paolo Posi  (1708/76)

Relief statue and "St. Isidore" by Pietro Pacilli (1716/after 1769)

Paintings in the ovals on the sides "Martyrdom of St. Eurosia of Jacca" and "S. Eurosia of Jacca" by Antonio Bicchierai (1688/1766)

2nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE BANNER

"Wooden Crucifix" of the twelfth century maybe from Tusculum which had been destroyed in 1191

Statue "St. John the Evangelist" by German school of the seventeenth-century

3rd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF THE ROSARY

Marble decoration in 1766 for Henry Stuart Duke of York

"Virgin Mary of the Rosary" maybe by G.B. Salvi aka Sassoferrato (1609/85)

MAIN ALTAR

Two bare columns made of Egyptian porphyry

Relief "The Delivery of the Keys" 1613 by Pompeo Ferrucci (about 1566/1637)

TO THE LEFT OF THE MAIN ALTAR - CHAPEL OF THE HOLY SACRAMENT

Formerly Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows from the fresco "Our Lady of Sorrows" of the second half of the eighteenth century by G.B. Dell'Era

"Prophets" and "Stories of the Passion of Christ" second half of the nineteenth century by Cesare Dies (1830/about 1910) who belonged to the so called Purist school of artists

Geometrical paintings by Annibale Angelini (1812/84)

3rd - CHAPEL OF St. JOSEPH

"St. Joseph and Child with Sts. Philip and James" patrons of the city by Mario Fenocchio

2nd RIGHT - CHAPEL OF BANNER

"Madonna of the Banner" by artists of the Roman school of the fourteenth century restored, according to tradition, by Domenichino

1st RIGHT - CHAPEL OF St. ANTHONY

"Virgin Mary and Child with Sts. Flavia Domitilla, Augustine and Monica" 1679 by Pietro Righelli

CHAPEL OF THE HOLY SAVIOUR

"Salvator Mundi" maybe originally of the fifteenth century

S. Maria in Vivario

St. Mary in the Fishery

Built around the twelfth century on the remains of an ancient Roman villa, maybe belonging to Gaius Crispus Passinus, near the Vivarium, the fishery of the villa

BELL TOWER built in 1305

Rebuilt and enlarged in 1495 for Cardinal William of Estouville

Restored in 1765

Rebuilt in 1958 after the bombing of the Allied Forces during World War Two

CHAPEL OF Sts. SEBASTIAN AND ROCH

1713/15 Michelangelo Ricciolini (1654/1715) and finished by his son Nicolò Ricciolini (1687/1772) to highlight the two frescoes of "St. Roch" and "St. Sebastian" discovered in 1656 during the plague after the collapse of a wall

Other frescoes by Pietro Gagliardi (1809/90)

SACRISTY

"Assumption of the Virgin Mary" about 1740 by Filippo Evangelisti (1684/1761)

Chiesa del Gesù

Church of Jesus

Built in the years 1597/1610

Rebuilt in the years 1691/96 for Olimpia Aldobrandini Pamphilj and completed by Gregorio Castrichini

FAÇADE

Erroneously attributed to Pietro Berrettini aka Pietro da Cortona, but actually the architect is unknown

Paintings: “Fake main dome, other fake dome on the presbytery, fake canopy, side altar with architectural perspectives” and “Scenes of Jesus’ childhood” in the nave 1683/84 or 1699/1700 by Andrea Pozzo (1642/1709) with his pupil Antonio Colli

TO THE LEFT OF THE MAIN ALTAR – SMALL CHAPEL OF THE VIRGIN MARY OF REFUGIUM PECCATORUM

Two frescoes "Presentation in the Temple" and "Adoration of the Shepherds" by Tadeusz Kuntze aka Taddeo il Polacco (1732/93)

Convento dei Cappuccini

Capuchin monastery

Outside Frascati on the Via Tuscolana

1573/75 by an unknown architect for Gregory XIII Boncompagni (1572/85)

On the walls "Four Evangelists Standing" by Cesare Nebbia (1536/1614)

MAIN ALTAR

"Crucifix between Sts. Francis and Anthony of Padua" and left altar "St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata" about 1578 by Girolamo Muziano (1532/92)

Villa Aldobrandini

Aldobrandini Villa

1598/1602 Giacomo Della Porta (1533/1602) over a pre-existing building in 1550

Continued in 1604 by Carlo Maderno (1556/1629) and Giovanni Fontana (1540/1614), brother of Domenico Fontana, for Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini nephew of Clement VIII Aldobrandini (1592/1605)

MONUMENTAL ENTRANCE

Francesco Carlo Bizzaccheri (1655/1721)

It is still owned today by Prince Aldobrandini

Paintings by Taddeo Zuccari (1529/66) and his younger brother Federico Zuccari (about 1542/1609), Giuseppe Cesari aka Cavalier d'Arpino (1568/1640), Domenico Crespi aka Passignano (1559/1638) and school of Domenico Zampieri aka Domenichino (1581/1641)

Four sculptures "Four Seasons" by Pietro Bernini (1562/1629) and Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598/1680) discovered in the garden by the art historian Federico Zeri

In the grand hall "Bust in bronze of Clement VIII Aldobrandini" by Taddeo Landini (about 1550/96)

PARK

Terraces, caves, statues and fountains

In front of the rear façade of the palace "Theatre of the waters" by Carlo Maderno

The Villa Aldobrandini is the most important and famous of the TEN “TUSCOLANE” VILLAS

Six are in the territory of Frascati: Aldobrandini, Falconieri, Sora, Torlonia, Lancellotti, Tuscolana

Two in the territory of Grottaferrata: Grazioli, Muti

Two in the territory of Monte Porzio Catone: Mondragone, Parisi

Villa Mondragone

Mondragone Villa

1573/75 Martino Longhi the Elder (1534/91) for Cardinal Marco Altemps on the ruins of a Roman villa which maybe belonged to the Quintili family

It was called Mondragone (Mountain of the Dragon) for its dominance over the surroundings and for the dragons in the emblem of the frequent guest of the villa, Pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni (1572/85)

In 1613 it was bought by Cardinal Scipione Borghese Caffarelli (1577/1633), nephew of Paul V Borghese (1605/21) who had it enlarged by Jan Van Santen aka Giovanni Vasanzio (1550/1621) and Giovanni Rainaldi

FAÇADE

Flaminio Ponzio (1560/1613)

On the terrace "Fountain" by Jan Van Santen aka Giovanni Vasanzio

In the SALONE DEGLI SVIZZERI (Hall of the Swiss) on February 13, 1582 Gregory XIII sanctioned with his Bull Inter Gravissimas the reform of the calendar establishing the new Gregorian Calendar

In 1611 it was chosen by Galileo Galilei as a visual reference to be observed from the Janiculum Hill during a major demonstration of the telescope that enabled him to become part of the Accademia deiLincei

In 1800 it became a Jesuit College

In 1932 Guglielmo Marconi performed here some experiments of radio transmission

Since 1981 it is owned by the University of Rome Tor Vergata

Villa Falconieri

Falconieri Villa

It includes the remains of an ancient Roman villa

Originally known as VILLA RUFINA as it was built during the years 1545/48 maybe by Giovanni Lippi aka Nanni di Baccio Bigio (about 1513/68) or Antonio Cordini aka Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1483/1546) for Monsignor Alessandro Rufini

Rebuilt in 1667 by Francesco Borromini (1599/1667) for Paolo Francesco Falconieri

Renovated in the years 1720/35 by Ferdinando Fuga (1699/1782) who lived here in order to direct works

It is owned by the Italian state since the end of World War One

Now it is home to INVALSI, the national institute for the evaluation of education and training system

ENTRANCE HALL

"Homage to Venus" by Niccolò Berrettoni (1637/82)

ROOM OF THE RAILING

Remains a the cycle of frescoes painted in the sixteenth century by Pietro Bonaccorsi aka Perin del Vaga (1501/47) and assistants

CENTRAL HALL

"Parts of the world and members of the Falconieri family” maybe by Ciro Ferri (1634/89)

ROOM OF THE BIRTH OF VENUS

"Birth of Venus" by Carlo Maratta (1625/1713) helped by his pupil Giacinto Calandrucci (1646/1707)

ROOM OF PROSERPINA

"Rape of Proserpina" by Ciro Ferri

Frescoes on the walls "Caricature and self-portrait" in 1727 by Pier Leone Ghezzi (1674/1755)

"His quality of witty observer of Roman society was evident in this series of caricatures that anticipate a genre of artistical expression popular during the period of the  European Enlightenment" (Carlo Bertelli, Giuliano Briganti, Antonio Giuliano)

Villa Lancellotti

Lancellotti Villa

It was built on the area which once belonged to the Roman politician Lucullus (118/57 BC)

S. Filippo Neri (1515/95) - known as St. Philip Neri in English - in 1578 rented a small building in this area for the sick Oratoriani (members of his congregation) and commissioned the building of a larger one in the years 1582/87 extended until 1595. The Congregation of the Oratory had been founded in 1575

It was almost immediately sold by the Congregation, burdened by financial problems, and it had many owners, including the Piccolomini family

It was purchased in 1866 by the Lancellotti family and they had it restored after the bombings of World War Two

LARGE PARK WITH LOGGIA AND NINFEO

1617/19, a smaller scale imitation of the park of Villa Aldobrandini

It is currently owned by the Collegio of Propaganda Fide

ROOMS ON THE GROUND FLOOR

Vaults with biblical themes and allegorical emblems about 1606 by Cherubino Alberti (1553/1615)

LARGE HALL ON THE GROUND FLOOR

Vault 1873 "Various characters of the Massimo Lancellotti family" by Annibale Angelini (1812/84) and Domenichino Forti

Statues and mosaics from Tusculum

Villa Tuscolana

Tuscolana Villa

It was built during the sixteenth century on the area of the ancient "Tusculanum" villa owned by Cicero

It was called VILLA RUFINELLA when it became the property of Monsignor Alessandro Rufini to distinguish it from the other villa in his property, Villa Rufina, later known as Villa Falconieri

It eventually belonged to the Jesuits. They had the main building rebuilt in 1741 by Luigi Vanvitelli (1700/73)

It was restored in 1966 after the damages of War World Two and transformed into the Grand Hotel Villa Tuscolana

It is the most panoramic of the villas around Frascati

Villa Grazioli

Completed in 1580 for Cardinal Antonio Carafa

Formerly known as VILLA MONTALTO

In 1843 it was bought by the Duke Pio Grazioli

It had many owners and now is the Park Hotel Villa Grazioli

Frescoes painted in 1590 by Federico Zuccari (about 1542/1609) and Cesare Nebbia (1536/1614) for Cardinal Ottavio Acquaviva

Also frescoes by Agostino Ciampelli (1565/1630) and Giovanni Paolo Pannini (1691/1765)

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