Archive for 'Latium'

Michelangelo is one of the most famous artists in the western world, as has been the case since early on his career and will probably always be true. Born in the fifteenth century, he was a Florentine sculptor, painter, poet, architect and engineer who was prodigiously talented, an incredibly hard worker, devoted to his art to a fault and the true definition of a Renaissance man. His work is now scattered across the globe but Florence and Rome remain the best places to see his work – Rome nudging just ahead.

Alternately called the “most beautiful garden in the world”, the “most romantic garden in the world”, enchanted and home to fairies, the Garden of Ninfa, just outside Rome is a spectacularly beautiful park. The garden includes the remains of the ancient city of Ninfa and is known mostly to garden enthusiasts. A bit of a well-kept secret, it is still visited by over 60,000 people a year and is well worth stopping by if you get a chance. Everywhere you turn, you'll be met by picturesque vistas straight out of paintings or storybooks. Find a holiday rental in Rome and you could spend a day getting lost in your own little world and strolling through the gardens.

The Villa Aldobrandini is a villa in Frascati, a town in the province of Rome. The original villa on the site was built by Alessandro Rufini in 1550. In 1598, it was given by Pope Clement VIII to his nephew, Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, from whom the villa takes its name. It is the only papal villa which is not owned by the state and is, instead, still owned and occupied by members of the Aldobrandini family, though its gardens are (luckily) open to the public on a daily basis.

Find a villa with pool in the Latium region and you could spend a day wandering these historic and famous gardens which are considered the best of early Italian Baroque style.

Pope Alexander VII had huge ambitions for Rome and took on large-scale building projects with the aim to reorganise and redesign large chunks of it. Together with the wunderkind architect, sculptor, painter, writer and designer, Bernini, he completed one of these major works, St Peter's Square. This open space lies in front of St Peter's Basilica and Alexander wanted it to be laid out so that the maximum number of worshippers would be able to see the Pope giving his blessings from the church or adjacent Papal apartments as well as to make a grand entrance to the hallowed buildings. A collaborative affair, the plans were made over several stages of planning until the present design was decided upon.

Bomarzo, a town in Latium in the lower valley of the Tiber, is most well-known for a highly unique attraction. Officially called the Gardens of Bomarzo, they are also referred to as the Sacred Garden, and that most descriptive of names, Bomarzo Monster Park. Created in the 16th century, the gardens are set in a forest at the bottom of a valley beneath Orsini Castle and feature bizarre and fantastical sculptures and small buildings alongside the natural beauty. If you feel like wandering through a Dali painting, this is just the thing for you! Find a luxury villa in Latium and you can explore this truly unique garden for yourself.