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Villa Madama

Named in honour of Margaret of Austria, Villa Madama was built in the sixteenth century, during the reign of Popes Leo X and Clement VII. Inspired by the new Renaissance love for nature, art and the pleasures of life, it was one of the first of such villas to spring up around the Eternal City. Villa Madama was in perfect harmony with the new tastes of a society that had abandoned the Middle Ages and their dark dungeon-like palaces, imprisoned inside city walls, for long stays in charming country villas. It was a cardinal, Giulio de' Medici, cousin of the reigning pontiff, who ordered a villa built at the foot of Monte Mario. The overall plan was designed by Raphael, who then left the execution to his disciples.

Antonio da Sangallo the Younger produced the final plans and supervised the actual construction. The decorations are by Giulio Romano, Baldassare Peruzzi, Giovanni Battista da Udine, Giovan Francesco Penni, also known as il Fattore, and Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli. Cardinal de' Medici's "vineyard", as it was called, was designed as a grand panorama of terraces. However, only part of the original design was built: Raphael died, the terrain caved in easily and costs were far higher than the estimates. It is certain that the work was still far from completed in 1519. But after Giulio de' Medici became Pope Clement VII in 1523, work resumed with fresh ardour in 1524-25 and the villa was soon completed.

After the death of Clement VII the villa became Medici property, first belonging to the young, restive Cardinal Ippolito, and later to Duke Alessandro, Lord of Florence. The latter married Margaret of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of Charles V, who later became Duchess of Parma and Piacenza and then Governess of the Netherlands. Widowed at the early age of 15, she became the bride, and soon afterwards widow, of Ottavio Farnese, a nephew of Pope Paul III. Cardinal Medici's "vineyard" was named Villa Madama after her, as was Palazzo Madama in Rome, now home of the Italian Senate, and the town of Castel Madama near Tivoli. Upon Margaret's death, the villa became the property of the Farnese family, the Dukes of Parma and Piacenza. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it slowly fell into ruin. The villa deteriorated even more after the Farnese family became extinct and it passed to Don Carlos of Bourbon, who became King of Naples in 1735, through his mother's side of the family. Over time, Villa Madama was slowly but surely stripped of all remaining furnishings of any artistic value. It was later downgraded to the status of a farm in the inventory of Farnese property owned by the Kings of Naples until the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. In 1913, the ruins were purchased by Maurice Berg�s, an engineer from Toulouse enamoured of Italy and Rome, who asked Marcello Piacentini to oversee its restoration. But, the true merit for restoring the villa to its pristine glory goes to the Dentice di Frasso family, who purchased it in 1925 and completed the original Piacentini restoration project. In 1937, the villa was leased to the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and was purchased by the Italian State in 1941.

Paintings and Stucco Reliefs

The villa has a number of whimsically high chimneys that enliven the fa�ade, a semicircle with a single order of large windows enclosed with a double frame of columns and vines. The hall is decorated with precious stucco reliefs by Giovanni da Udine.

The minute, elegant ivy motif is visible on the double pillars. A delicate vertical band of sheaves of wheat alternates on the walls with a strip of small medallions or geometric forms with classical figures and scenes. There is canopy with elegantly depicted scenes in the middle. This work by Giovanni da Udine was inspired by famous stuccoes from the Domus Aurea and Roman baths, which he discovered and studied.

There is a sharp contrast between the white stucco scenes in the hall and the richly coloured decorations of the loggia. According to tradition, they were begun by Raphael and completed by his students Giovanni da Udine, Giulio Romano and Giovan Francesco Penni also known as il Fattore. They were inspired by ancient Roman constructions by now buried. The lower part of the decoration was almost completely destroyed during the occupation by successive waves of troops and from later being turned into a farm. What is left is a myriad of small frescos of mythological and literary subjects inside a border of rich ornamental elements, a profusion of flowers, leaves, drapery, mythological figures, animals and bizarre geometric designs. Alongside the mythological and literary figures are decorations with heraldic motifs and scenes.

The decorations in the two rooms to the right of the loggia also contain a wealth of heraldic motifs, and lovely cross-windows in a 15th century style. Aside from the Raphael loggia, the villa's greatest artistic element is the huge room by Guilio Romano, with its magnificent vaulted ceiling and decorations in various styles.

The Gardens

The villa's architecture is perfectly immersed in its natural surroundings and its painting are nothing more than a continuation of the trees and flowers on the grounds.

In the garden facing the loggia, the numerous fountains include one on the left known as the Elephant Fountain. Designed by Giovanni da Udine, it depicts the Indian elephant "Annone", brought to Rome by a Portuguese ambassador coming from Goa in 1514. The animal became a pet of court and populace and was given the honour of having a tomb designed by Raphael himself.

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