VILLA FARNESINA

Villa Farnesina, located in Rome (Trastevere), is considered one of the noblest and most harmonious creations of Italian Renaissance. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, it was commissioned by the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi to the architect Baldassarre Peruzzi. The interior is decorated with frescoes by Raphael Sanzio, Sebastiano del Piombo, Giovanni da Udine, Giovanni Bazzi known as il Sodoma, Giulio Romano,  Giovan Francesco Penni, and Baldassarre Peruzzi himself.  At the end of the sixteenth century the Villa was purchased by Cardinal Alessandro Farnese from whom it takes its name “Farnesina” to distinguish it from Palazzo Farnese on the other side of the Tiber. The Villa is also used for official representative purposes by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.

VILLA MEDICI

The Villa Medici is situated on Pincio Hill. This hill does not belong to the seven major Roman hills, because it is outside the pomoerium, the sacred wall of antique Rome. However it does belong to the perimeter of the Aurelian walls built between 270 and 273 A.D. The Villa stands where the gardens of Lucius Lucinius Lucullus were. He was a Roman general and favourite of Sylla. Between 66 and 63 B.C. he built a major villa that covered the entire area between via Salaria Vetus and the current northern path of Pincio. As reported by Plutarch he welcomed Cicero and Pompeius.

VILLA GULIA

The villa, commissioned by Pope Julius III in the mid-1500s, is one of the most perfect examples of an Italian Renaissance villa. Inside is the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, the most important collection of Etruscan art in Italy.

COMPLESSO DI SAN PIETRO AL GIANICOLO

Beyond the sixteenth-century church, you can visit the convent with its evocative cloisters, home of the Real Accademia di Spagna, where the architect Donato Bramante created the famous Tempietto, an absolute masterpiece of harmony and proportions, one of the most significant examples of Renaissance architecture in recovery of the ancient Rome prototypes. You can then continue the walk on the Gianicolo hill, passing through the scenic Fontanone, wanted by Pope Paolo V at the beginning of the 1600s, up to Piazzale Garibaldi, from which one can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of Rome

CHIESA SOTTERRANEI E MUSEO DI SANTA SABINA SULL’AVENTINO

An extraordinary complex where you can retrace the different phases, from the Roman to the early Christian era, up to the Baroque period. Continuing the itinerary on the Aventine hill, one of the most evocative and secluded of the city, churches, gardens and monastic buildings follow one another, up to the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, an architectural masterpiece by G.B. Piranesi.

PALAZZO VENEZIA

Despite its central position, in one of the most famous and busy squares of the city, few know this monumental building, dating back to the mid-fifteenth century, which has been the protagonist of important historical events even contemporary. Today it houses the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia, whose visit allows you to admire both the building, with the grandiose monumental rooms, the cardinal apartment, the secret garden, and to appreciate the extraordinary and rich collection of paintings, sculptures, bronzes.

VILLA TORLONIA

The last of the Roman noble villas, developed between the nineteenth and early twentieth century, and includes in the park a series of beautiful buildings. Among these, the Casino Nobile, sumptuous residence in neoclassical style, with preciously decorated rooms, the Casino dei Principi, and the very original Casina delle Civette, which houses a unique museum in the world dedicated to the Art Nouveau window.