198a.

Casino del Giardino Farnese sul Monte Gianicolo

Cardinal Alessandro Farnese bought the site of this villa before attaining the papacy as Pope Paul III (1534-1549). He chose the highest point in the city (86 meters or about 280 feet above sea level) just outside the ancient Aurelian walls near Porta Aurelia, the modern Porta S. Pancrazio, Plate 13. In the following century the site became enclosed by the new city walls built under Urban VIII Barberini (1623-1644), which linked Porta S. Pancrazio to the Borgo walls. The 1557 Pacciotti view-map of Rome is the first to show the early villa with the building and garden standing clear of the walls. In 1650 Cardinal Girolamo Farnese expanded the site and built a new, larger casino which Vasi features in this print. Both the newer casino, at the center of the print, and the older building on the left, appear on the Nolli map in the enclosed area labeled Giardino Farnese. As Nolli shows, the Baroque building was constructed right up against the outside surface of the Aurelian wall, part of which may be seen between the two buildings in the Vasi view. In 1849, Garibaldi used the main building as his headquarters in the defense of the city against the French, who occupied Villa Corsini, Plates 72, 199). French cannon fire severely damaged the casino and completely destroyed the older building. The restored buildings and site, known as Villa Aurelia, now belong to the American Academy in Rome.