Popes and Princes and the Revival of the Roman Splendour 

Perched on a verdant hillside twelve miles southeast of Rome, on the fertile ridge of the volcanic Alban Hills, Frascati stood on the lower slopes of Tusculum and was the preeminent site of early modern "villeggiatura", or villa life. In the Alban Hills ancient Romans had built villas and baronial lords, during the Medieval Ages, had fortified fiefs. Afterwards, for almost a century, from the 1540s to the 1620s villas were built and  princes and popes chose Frascati and its surroundings as their rural seat, seeking repose on its slopes and they revived villa life "all'antica" and embraced aristocratic ideals, bringing the court life of Rome to the country. The landscape of Frascati and its surroundings with its myths and memories was an idyllic place, offering restful delights for the body and spirit.   

Ana Maria Rybko Gratton, laureata e specializzata in Storia dell'Arte all'Università di Roma, La Sapienza, lavora presso la Sezione Didattica della Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Romano e collabora con enti pubblici e associazioni culturali.