198.

Teatro di verdure nella Villa Corsini alla Lungara

Palazzo Corsini had its main façade, Plate 72, turned toward the city, and its rear facade facing a vast garden and park which climbed up almost to the top of the Janiculum hill, identified here by Vasi as Macchia grande (4) or forested hill. The southern half of the Palazzo Corsini shown on the Nolli plan reused the 15th century Palazzo Riario. The view shown here is along the long avenue (3) on axis with this older part of the building, where it met a cross axis with a circular fountain (2) which still exists today, which can be seen in the satellite image and contemporary photograph. The garden gate (1) to the right leads to a garden labyrinth. It is strange that Nolli records the site but not the fountain nor the semicircular teatro di verdure (theater of greenery). Unlike all the other views in this volume, here Vasi focuses on a garden feature instead of an architectural one.