The Villa Medici was established by Cardinal Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany who acquired the property in 1576. The villa is located on the Pincio Hill, next to the Borghese Gardens, and enjoys a grand vista of the city of Rome. Napoleon Bonaparte acquired the property and, in 1803, transferred the property to the French Academy in Rome. Today, the Villa Medici belongs to the state of France.
The terrace side of Villa Medici is covered with reliefs that were obtained from other structures including the Ara Pietatis Augustae. Many niches that once held statues and busts are now empty. The two lions in the loggia are modern copies of the originals that once stood guard there.
Near the loggia is a fountain with a sculpture of Mercury and, in the terrace is a copy of an obelisk. The obelisk, originally erected by Ramses II in Heliopolis was purchased by Cardinal de’ Medici and moved to Villa Medici. The original now stands in Boboli Gardens in Florence. The obelisk at Villa Medici is a copy.
Villa Medici from the Terrace
SOURCE: Villa Medici from the Terrace (Rome, Lazio, Italy); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 August 2011.
The Loggia of Villa Medici
SOURCE: The Loggia of Villa Medici (Rome, Lazio, Italy); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 August 2011.
Roman Statue in the Loggia of Villa Medici
SOURCE: Roman Statue in the Loggia of Villa Medici (Rome, Lazio, Italy); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 August 2011.
Sculpture of Mercury and the Obelisk at Villa Medici
SOURCE: Sculpture of Mercury and the Obelisk at Villa Medici (Rome, Lazio, Italy); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 11 August 2011.
Copyright © 2011 by Stephen J. Danko
