Rome's largest public landscaped park, the Villa Doria Pamphili, takes up an area of around 2 square kilometers. It was originally owned by the family that gave the park it's name, then bought by the City of Rome at the end of the twentieth century.
This amazing area is one of the best places in all of Rome for bird watching, and it's also a wonderful choice for a jog or a pleasant stroll.
This area has a long history, dating from before 1630, when it was referred to as the Villa Veccie. At this time, it was purchased by Panfilo Panfili, as well as the vineyards around it.
This was the beginning of an enormous holding on the high ground, towering over the rest of Rome and offering incredible views. This holding acted as the owner and his family's suburban escape.
Later in 1644, a new villa was begun on the site by the nephew of Giovanni Battista Pamphili, then the Pope. Work progressed until 1652, and the villa was designed to complement both contemporary and ancient sculpture and decor.
You'll find most of the artifacts in the Capitoline Museum today, though there are still some at the site. Visitors to the Villa Doria Pamphili will see an exterior in the busy Baroque style, with alternating niches and windows, as well as Mannerist-type bas relief panels.
Inside, you'll see frescoes depicting Roman history and even more Bas reliefs. Around the exterior there are gardens, first laid out around 1650 and creating a sequence of connected areas surrounding the villa and the lower levels. Statuary was once placed here, but much of this area is now grassed.
Other later features include fountains and gateways, giving the gardens a real complexity. You can still hear music from the 16th and 17th centuries at the Villa Doria Pamphili, in its Giardino del Teatro.
Currently, the majority of the gardens of the Villa Doria Pamphili are planted in a sixteenth century style, with close cut greenery and wide gravel walks. At one point there were a number of Roman tombs on the site, but they have all been excavated through the centuries.
If you visit this lush park, you may be surprised to learn that it was once a site of violence - during the short lived nineteenth century Roman Republic, hand to hand fighting broke out in the fortified villas on the city outskirts, including at the Villa Doria Pamphili. However, this region survived while other neighboring villas were nearly destroyed.
The villa's owner then took advantage of his neighbors' misfortune, buying up their property and expanding his holdings even more. Surviving structures on these pieces of land host art exhibits and more.
If you're on a trip to Rome, you should definitely include a trip to this fantastic Roman park in your plans. The Villa Doria Pamphili is something that every tourist in Rome should see.
This amazing area is one of the best places in all of Rome for bird watching, and it's also a wonderful choice for a jog or a pleasant stroll.
This area has a long history, dating from before 1630, when it was referred to as the Villa Veccie. At this time, it was purchased by Panfilo Panfili, as well as the vineyards around it.
This was the beginning of an enormous holding on the high ground, towering over the rest of Rome and offering incredible views. This holding acted as the owner and his family's suburban escape.
Later in 1644, a new villa was begun on the site by the nephew of Giovanni Battista Pamphili, then the Pope. Work progressed until 1652, and the villa was designed to complement both contemporary and ancient sculpture and decor.
You'll find most of the artifacts in the Capitoline Museum today, though there are still some at the site. Visitors to the Villa Doria Pamphili will see an exterior in the busy Baroque style, with alternating niches and windows, as well as Mannerist-type bas relief panels.
Inside, you'll see frescoes depicting Roman history and even more Bas reliefs. Around the exterior there are gardens, first laid out around 1650 and creating a sequence of connected areas surrounding the villa and the lower levels. Statuary was once placed here, but much of this area is now grassed.
Other later features include fountains and gateways, giving the gardens a real complexity. You can still hear music from the 16th and 17th centuries at the Villa Doria Pamphili, in its Giardino del Teatro.
Currently, the majority of the gardens of the Villa Doria Pamphili are planted in a sixteenth century style, with close cut greenery and wide gravel walks. At one point there were a number of Roman tombs on the site, but they have all been excavated through the centuries.
If you visit this lush park, you may be surprised to learn that it was once a site of violence - during the short lived nineteenth century Roman Republic, hand to hand fighting broke out in the fortified villas on the city outskirts, including at the Villa Doria Pamphili. However, this region survived while other neighboring villas were nearly destroyed.
The villa's owner then took advantage of his neighbors' misfortune, buying up their property and expanding his holdings even more. Surviving structures on these pieces of land host art exhibits and more.
If you're on a trip to Rome, you should definitely include a trip to this fantastic Roman park in your plans. The Villa Doria Pamphili is something that every tourist in Rome should see.
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