DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19775#0145
MONDRAGONE,
FRASCATI.
WHEN the western sun sets the 374
windows of the Mondragone facade
ablaze, they can be seen even from
Rome. Not one of all the villas of Fras-
cati stands so boldly as this one. None other has
such a noble fountain, with basins tossed aloft, four,
one above another, though, alas, the jets of water,
which once rose high into the air, are reduced to
a mere trickle. The villa was erected by Cardinal
Marco d'Altemps in honour of Gregory XIII.,
and called after the dragon which was the Pope's
crest. At Este, another Cardinal was causing a
dragon fountain to burst out, to gratify the Pope,
and a Cardinal of Frascati must not be outdone.
They had grand ideas of giving in those days, for
the Villa Borghese, which lies at the foot of the
Mondragone grounds, to which it descends through
a whole army of black cypresses, was given to
Paul V, by its owner, Count Ferdinand Taverna,
Governor of Rome. The Pontiff intended to throw
the two villas into one, and proposed to make a
new road, leading straight from St. John Lateran
to the door, and so lightly did they reckon of
vast undertakings, that we are surprised that these
modest projects were abandoned.
Giovanni Fiammingo and a Lombard, Flaminio
Ponzio, were the architects. So stately is the
garden loggia that the credit for it has been given
to the great Vignola ; it is true that he died in
1 573, one year after the building was commenced,
but it is very possible that he may have furnished
designs, for he died at the height of his fame,
when they were eagerly sought for. Another
celebrated artist, Giovanni Fontana, is the architect
of the superb fountain and of the ample balustrade
from which we lean and look over the dense
cypresses towards Rome on the far horizon. At the
end of the balustrade stand the two giant columns,
known as " the Pope's Chimneys." These two,
shown on the north end of the great terrace,
correspond to other two, on the south end. The
huge kitchens and domestic offices of the villa are
built underneath this vast artificial terrace, and those
on the north-east are chimneys proper. The others
are dummies, and merely intended to secure a
balanced effect. Between these two pairs of
columns on the great terrace, is placed the fountain,
"My Dragon."
The glories of Mondragone have passed away.
It was laid waste in 1821 bv the Austrian occupa-
tion, when marching towards Naples. The beautiful
English princess, Gwendoline Borghese, had made
plans for its restoration, but her sudden death put
a stop to them. The huge old house is now a
religious college, the principal of which shows
the kindest hospitality in allowing sightseers and
artists to wander over the grounds.
Lean and look in the evening sunlight,
drinking in the sweet mountain air, and, as
Gregorovius says, " Think of it all—these plains,
these mountains, on which are set towns and
villages, most of them rich in memories and
associations of the past—of the Middle Ages, of
the Empire. Call it all up before your imagina-
tion. Think of Umbria—of Sabrina—of Latinum—
of the land of the Etruscans—the Volscians "
(" Latian Summers," by F. Gregorovius). To our
right, on a sudden hill, is lifted up the town of
Colonna, which in the Middle Ages was the cradle
of that great race. Beyond it Tivoli gleams against
the blue hillside, and at our feet are the shim-
mering olive groves, the maize fields, the rich
vineyards, where so often desolation has passed.
" We travelled in the print of ancient wars,
Yet all the land was green,
And love we found and peace
Where fire and war had been.
They pass and smile, the children of the sword,
No more the sword they wield,
And oh, how deep the corn,
Along the battlefield ! "
( i35 )
FRASCATI.
WHEN the western sun sets the 374
windows of the Mondragone facade
ablaze, they can be seen even from
Rome. Not one of all the villas of Fras-
cati stands so boldly as this one. None other has
such a noble fountain, with basins tossed aloft, four,
one above another, though, alas, the jets of water,
which once rose high into the air, are reduced to
a mere trickle. The villa was erected by Cardinal
Marco d'Altemps in honour of Gregory XIII.,
and called after the dragon which was the Pope's
crest. At Este, another Cardinal was causing a
dragon fountain to burst out, to gratify the Pope,
and a Cardinal of Frascati must not be outdone.
They had grand ideas of giving in those days, for
the Villa Borghese, which lies at the foot of the
Mondragone grounds, to which it descends through
a whole army of black cypresses, was given to
Paul V, by its owner, Count Ferdinand Taverna,
Governor of Rome. The Pontiff intended to throw
the two villas into one, and proposed to make a
new road, leading straight from St. John Lateran
to the door, and so lightly did they reckon of
vast undertakings, that we are surprised that these
modest projects were abandoned.
Giovanni Fiammingo and a Lombard, Flaminio
Ponzio, were the architects. So stately is the
garden loggia that the credit for it has been given
to the great Vignola ; it is true that he died in
1 573, one year after the building was commenced,
but it is very possible that he may have furnished
designs, for he died at the height of his fame,
when they were eagerly sought for. Another
celebrated artist, Giovanni Fontana, is the architect
of the superb fountain and of the ample balustrade
from which we lean and look over the dense
cypresses towards Rome on the far horizon. At the
end of the balustrade stand the two giant columns,
known as " the Pope's Chimneys." These two,
shown on the north end of the great terrace,
correspond to other two, on the south end. The
huge kitchens and domestic offices of the villa are
built underneath this vast artificial terrace, and those
on the north-east are chimneys proper. The others
are dummies, and merely intended to secure a
balanced effect. Between these two pairs of
columns on the great terrace, is placed the fountain,
"My Dragon."
The glories of Mondragone have passed away.
It was laid waste in 1821 bv the Austrian occupa-
tion, when marching towards Naples. The beautiful
English princess, Gwendoline Borghese, had made
plans for its restoration, but her sudden death put
a stop to them. The huge old house is now a
religious college, the principal of which shows
the kindest hospitality in allowing sightseers and
artists to wander over the grounds.
Lean and look in the evening sunlight,
drinking in the sweet mountain air, and, as
Gregorovius says, " Think of it all—these plains,
these mountains, on which are set towns and
villages, most of them rich in memories and
associations of the past—of the Middle Ages, of
the Empire. Call it all up before your imagina-
tion. Think of Umbria—of Sabrina—of Latinum—
of the land of the Etruscans—the Volscians "
(" Latian Summers," by F. Gregorovius). To our
right, on a sudden hill, is lifted up the town of
Colonna, which in the Middle Ages was the cradle
of that great race. Beyond it Tivoli gleams against
the blue hillside, and at our feet are the shim-
mering olive groves, the maize fields, the rich
vineyards, where so often desolation has passed.
" We travelled in the print of ancient wars,
Yet all the land was green,
And love we found and peace
Where fire and war had been.
They pass and smile, the children of the sword,
No more the sword they wield,
And oh, how deep the corn,
Along the battlefield ! "
( i35 )