Castles and Capers in Borgia Country
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| Loggia and fountain of Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola |
Borgia, Farnese, Orsini… these are just a few of the powerful families who held sway in Etruria , an area north of Rome that the Italians call Tuscia Viterbese .
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| Borgia-Farnese castle, Nepi |
Thanks to their connections, powerful papal nephews were able to acquire lands and create magnificent palazzi and gardens in this now quiet area north of Rome.
Nepotism allowed them to commission splendid estates and art work for their private enjoyment and to dazzle visitors.
As modern TV series show, many of the papal family members were not always up to religious standards.
Their lifestyles were often more outlandish and exciting than anything a script writer could invent today.
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| waterfall near Borgia Castle at Nepi |
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| Farnese coat of arms, Nepi |
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| Nepi - Borgia fortress |
Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, was often visitor in Nepi where the towers, massive walls and underground areas still ooze history even when a modern day gastronomy festival is happening.
One of the papal nephews of the Farnese family was responsible for the magnificent Palazzo Farnese, in Caprarola. Along with the Palazzo Farnese in Rome –the present French Embassy – it epitomizes Renaissance architecture and art.
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| upper gardens of Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola |
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| upper gardens and Casina dei Piaceri |
Caprarola’s Palazzo Farnese, designed by Architect Vignola, can be considered the original pentagon for it has 5 sides, a circular central courtyard and perfectly square or rectangular rooms. And what rooms!
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| design by Justin Bradshaw |
There are frescoed walls including the map room dedicated to explorers. The gilded ceilings and multi-colored terracotta tile floors are perfectly maintained mosaics . The south-facing rooms were used in winter,while those on the northern side, were lived in during the hot summers.
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| glazed terracotta tiles of the loggia, Caprarola |
This hillside town named after goats (capra=goat) is a perfect place to relax in style, just as it was for powerful men of the past, from the Farnese popes and cardinals to Prince Charles and Italian presidents in pre-Berlusconi days.
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| view towards Rome from Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola |
The views from the loggia of Palazzo Farnese stretch all the way to Rome (35 kms ) while Mount Soratte’s majestic outline looms in the distance.
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| fresco by Zuccari , Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola |
The Zuccari brothers and their crew of decorators did not have to worry about expenses thus the Palazzo , its gardens , fountains and the Casina dei Piaceri show papal nepotism on a grand scale .
Along the lakeside road traveled by artists, architects and stone masons who worked with the wealthy families of Viterbo, Vetralla and Caprarola we find a simple fountain of Santa Lucia, emblazoned with Farnese symbols.
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| Santa Lucia, Lake DiVico , between Vetralla and Caprarola |
Capers, considered an aphrodisiac, still grow today on the south facing walls and were used for medicinal purposes, to help digestion and hangovers.
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| Opening the hydraulic system for giochi d'acqua |
Interestingly , the word caper, also means a joyful leap or a high- spirited escapade . Note the water games installed to surprise visitors with sprinkler systems that are still perfectly functional today.
Another “season of capers” happened in the early 1900s when an eccentric Boston lady and her daughters lived at the Palazzo and their lifestyle was immortalized in Gabriele D’Annunzio’s “Le Vergini delle Rocce”.
For more about the palace and the underground multimedia area check out Palazzo Farnese .
For more stories about the palazzi and gardens of the area purchase your signed copy of "Etruria-travel, history and itineraries in central Italy".
