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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page revised in June 2012.
To the Italian visitors of my web site

Vasi's Digression - Frascati - part two: the Villas

In this page:
Villa Lancellotti
Villa Falconieri
Villa Tuscolana
Villa Sora
Villa Grazioli
In the previous page: Villa Mondragone, Villa Taverna, Villa Aldobrandini and Villa Torlonia.

Villa Lancellotti

Villa Lancellotti
Villa Lancellotti

Villa Lancellotti is also known as Villa Piccolomini as it belonged to this family (that of Pope Pius II) for more than two hundred years. It is located very near Frascati and it is not surrounded by a very large garden. The façade of the casino shows a simple late Renaissance design, while its central part was modified in the XVIIIth century. The terrace commands a view over Rome, but on the other side it is almost dominated by Villa Aldobrandini which is situated on higher ground.

Gardens of Villa Lancellotti
Teatro delle Acque

According to some art historians the Teatro delle Acque, i.e. a large nymphaeum similar to those of the ancient Romans decorated with artificial caves and statues, was designed as early as 1590, so it precedes those of the other villas.

Former 1877 entrance to Villa Lancellotti
(left) Former 1877 entrance to Villa La Rufinella with the coat of arms of the Lancellotti; the Latin inscription says "Entrance to Rufinella (is) ornament of the City of Tusculum (Frascati); (right) statue portraying Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe, the legendary founder of Tusculum, the ancient town out of which Frascati originated

Elisabetta Borghese Aldobrandini and her husband Filippo Lancellotti bought the villa in 1866 and a few years later they bought Villa La Rufinella (aka Tuscolana), an adjoining property with a very large garden. In 1877 they built a grand entrance which gave access to both villas. Today this section of the property is a public park known as Giardino dell'Ombrellino.

Gardens of Villa Lancellotti
(left) Another view of the casino; (right) detail of the clock

Villa Falconieri

Villa Falconieri
Villa Falconieri

The villa was initially built by Alessandro Ruffini, a prelate of the papal court, in 1549 and thus it is also called Villa la Rufina. Ruffini was supported in his effort by Pope Paul III, who, having been Bishop of Frascati, promoted the development of the town. It is considered the oldest of the villas of Frascati. The main building was largely redesigned by Francesco Borromini after the villa was bought by Orazio Falconieri in 1628.

Gates of Villa Falconieri
Portal built by Orazio Falconieri

Orazio Falconieri belonged to a noble Florentine family. His uncle Lelio was created cardinal by Pope Urban VIII Barberini in 1643. The Falconieri bought a palace in Via Giulia and were given the apse of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini as a family chapel.

Gates of Villa Falconieri
(left) Gate of Cardinal Alessandro Falconieri; (right) outer gate leading to the portal of Orazio Falconieri

In 1733 Cardinal Alessandro Falconieri decided to provide his villa with an entrance comparable to Portale delle Armi, the sort of triumphal arch built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese for Villa Taverna. Hovever in the years during which the property was neglected a tree blocked the alley leading to the casino.
By 1865 the Falconieri family was extinct and after several changes of property the villa was bought by Ernst von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, a rich German banker who bequeathed it to Emperor William II. Similar to Palazzo Caffarelli, it was confiscated in 1918 and it now houses institutions of the Italian school system.
Some of the images which illustrate Villa Falconieri were taken in February 2012, shortly after an unusually heavy snowstorm.

Villa Tuscolana

Villa Tuscolana
Villa Tuscolana

Villa Tuscolana aka la Rufinella was the second villa built by Alessandro Ruffini. It is located almost at the top of the hill behind Frascati, above Villa Aldobrandini. For this reason in 1604 it was bought by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini who did not want to have neighbours who could watch what was going on at his property. In 1639 it was bought by Cardinal Giulio Sacchetti, Bishop of Frascati, who at the same time bought a palace in Via Giulia. Giulio Sacchetti, similar to Lelio Falconieri was of Florentine origin and Pope Urban VIII who created them cardinals was born in Florence. After the death of the pope, Sacchetti's election was supported by the Barberini, but it was vetoed by Spain. This occurred again at the conclave of 1655.

Villa Tuscolana seen from Monte Porzio Catone
Villa Tuscolana seen from Monte Porzio Catone

In 1740 the villa was sold to the Jesuits who turned it into the summer residence of Collegio Romano. The old casino was replaced by a new massive building designed by Luigi Vanvitelli. In the early XIXth century it was bought by Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino and later on by the Lancellotti. In recent years it was turned into a hotel.

Villa Sora

Villa Sora
(left) Villa Sora; (centre) coat of arms of Pope Gregory XIII; (right) coat of arms of the Boncompagni Ludovisi Odescalchi

Villa Sora was built in the XVIth century and in 1600 it was sold to Giacomo Boncompagni, son of Pope Gregory XIII. He was Duke of Sora, a town near Veroli, but in the Kingdom of Naples. Several properties of the Boncompagni, including a palace in Rome are named after this town. The Boncompagni sold the villa in 1896. Today it houses a school of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Villa Grazioli

Villa Grazioli
Villa Grazioli

The villa was built by Cardinal Antonio Carafa, nephew of Pope Paul IV in ca 1580. In 1607 it was bought by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V. In 1614 it was exchanged with that of Cardinal Ferdinando Taverna which was located near Villa Mondragone. Cardinal Taverna eventually sold the villa to the Peretti Montalto, the family of Pope Sixtus V. After other changes in ownership it was bought by the Grazioli, rich XIXth century landowners, in 1843. The villa was damaged during WWII and it was utlized to provide temporary accommodation to the many inhabitants of Frascati who lost their homes when the town was bombed in September 1943. Today it houses a hotel.

The image in the background of this page shows a large Roman jar with an XVIIIth century decoration in Giardino dell'Ombrellino.

Move to page one: Frascati - the town
Move to page two: Villa Mondragone, Villa Taverna, Villa Aldobrandini and Villa Torlonia
Next step in your tour of the Environs of Rome: Grottaferrata

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Tusculo antico oggi Frascati città
Dodici miglia lungi da Roma, camminando per la strada fuori della Porta S. Giovanni, fu quell'insigne città, fabbricata sull'eminente collina da Telegone figliuolo di Ulisse e di Circe per collocarvi la sua regia. Prese un tal nome forse da' Toscani, che l'ingrandirono, o da Greci, che ve lo imposero per la difficoltà del salirvi; e fu di tal maniera forte, che in essa ricoverossi Tarquinio Superbo ultimo Re discacciato, da' Romani; donde nacque poi la fierissima guerra tra' Latini, e i Romani, e non cessò fin a tanto, che quella città non rimanesse spianata fino al suolo con tutte le sue magnificenze. Non per questo fu dipoi abbandonata, anzi più gloriosa risorse per opera de' medesimi Romani, i quali la illustrarono con magnificenze più insigni, vedendosi in quell'angolo del colle verso tramontana le diroccate mura; ed il famoso Tusculo di M. Cicerone, in cui aveva aperta per suo trattenimento letterario una accademia, che fu la più fiorita di tutta l'Europa, concorrendovi tutti i maggiori letterati di Roma e del Mondo ancora: onde Tusculane si dissero quelle questioni e quesiti, che in un picciolo, ma prezioso volume si gode, formato in quelle delizie dal Principe della Romana eloquenza. In quell'altra parte del colle verso Oriente fu la famosa villa di Lucullo, e dove si vedano sparse a mucchi le pietre su il vecchio sepolcro de' Furj, e la regia di Tarquinio suddetto.
Mutò nome e sito quell'insigne città circa l'anno 1191. quando nuovamente distrutta da Romani per le insolenze usate colla Sede Apostolica da' suoi cittadini, i quali poi non sapendo dove ricoverarsi scesero nel basso incontro a Roma costruendo diverse casette e capanne di legno coperte di rami, di frondi, e frasche, dalle quali la nuova città prese il none rurale di Frascati. Dipoi riconosciuta la salubrità dell'aria, e l'amenità del sito, principiò la nobiltà Romana a farci le sue villeggiature: perciò vi furono erette de' magnifici casini, e maravigliose ville con deliziosissime fontane, e viali amenissimi, fra le quali tiene il primo luogo quella di Belvedere posta dinanzi alla porta di questa città, e quella di Mondragone eretta da Paolo V. Borghese; dipoi la Taverna, la Conti, la Rufina, la Boncompagni, la Odescalchi ed altre, che con più facilità riuscirà il vederle, che con brevità quì descriverle:


Pages on towns of Latium other than Rome In the Duchy of Castro: Farnese, Ischia di Castro, Valentano, Gradoli, Capodimonte, Marta In Maremma: Corneto (Tarquinia), Montalto, Canino A Pilgrim's Way: Via Francigena: Acquapendente, Bolsena, Montefiascone In and about Viterbo: Viterbo, Bagnoregio, S. Martino al Cimino, Tuscania, Bomarzo, S. Maria della Querce, Bagnaia, Orte, Vasanello, Vitorchiano From Civitavecchia to Civita Castellana: Civitavecchia, Tolfa, Allumiere, Oriolo Romano, Capranica, Sutri, Bassano, Monterosi, Nepi, Castel d'Elia, Civita Castellana From Bracciano to Viterbo: Manziana, Canale Monterano, Vejano, Barbarano, Blera, Vetralla Around Monte Cimino: Ronciglione, Caprarola, Carbognano, Fabrica, Corchiano, Vignanello, Vallerano, Soriano The Bracciano Lake: Bracciano, Trevignano, Anguillara At the foot of Monte Soratte: S. Oreste, Rignano, Faleria Land of the Romans' wives: Montopoli, Poggio Mirteto, Casperia, Cantalupo, Roccantica Sentinels on the Highway: Fiano Romano, Civitella S. Paolo, Nazzano, Torrita Tiberina, Filacciano, Ponzano Along Via Aurelia: Palidoro, Palo, S. Severa and S. Marinella A Walk to Malborghetto: Prima Porta, Malborghetto Branching off Via Cassia: S. Maria di Galeria, Formello, Isola Farnese To Nomentum and beyond: Mentana, Monterotondo, Palombara A Walk to Ponte di Nona: ancient monuments along Via Prenestina Via Appia Antica A short and delicious digression: Tivoli, Montecompatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Marino, Castelgandolfo, Albano, Ariccia, Genzano, Velletri, Nemi, Rocca di Papa, Rocca Priora, Civita Lavinia (Lanuvio), Porto, Ostia Where the painters found their models: Anticoli Corrado, Castelmadama, Vicovaro, Arsoli Subiaco The Roman Campagna: Palestrina, Genazzano, Paliano, Anagni The Ernici Mountains: Ferentino, Alatri The Volsci Mountains: Valmontone, Colonna, Segni, Norma, Cori On the Latin Shores: Anzio, Nettuno, Torre Astura On the edge of the marsh: Sermoneta, Sezze, Priverno Circe's Cape: S. Felice, Terracina Veroli Branching off Via Flaminia: Riano, Castelnuovo di Porto, Morlupo, Leprignano (Capena)

Latium was enlarged in the 1920s with territories from the neighbouring regions: the map on the left shows the current borders of Latium; the map on the right has links to pages covering towns of historical Latium: in order to see them you must hover and click on the dots.

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