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UNIYGRSITY Of CALlfORNlA
LIBRARY
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DESCRIPTION
or
LATIUM;
0R>
J^A CAMPAGNA DI ROMA.
Misurar si ponno'
Da qucste gloriose aropie ruine
I.e fortune Latine.
GuiDi*-
LONDON:
PKIKTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, AND ORATE^
PATER-NOSTER ROW.
1805.
Strahan and Preston,
Ncw-Stiett StjMarc.
TO
THE QUEEN,
BY HER MAJESTY'S MOST GRACIOUS PERMISSION,
THE FOLLOWING PAGES
ARE INSCRIBED^
AS A TRIBUTE OF RESPECTFUL GRATITUDE^
BY
HER MAJESTY'S
MOST DUTIFUL, ANI>
MOST DEVOTED SERVANT, '
THE AUTHOR.
39J;I>03
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2008 with funding from
IVIicrosoft Corporation
http://www.archive.org/details/descriptionoflatOOknigrich
if
. - . CONTENTS.
i?£ - .liOYiT i£:!>ii £.:i7/o Page
Introduction. - - - - - l.>».;: w
Description of the Campagna with respect to Situation and Climate. i
LaTium, and its first Inhabitants 9
Colonial Establishments of the Ancients in Latium, their Towns,
Roads, and Country-houses. -- i^
Lake of Albano and its Environs, including Castel Gandolfo,
Albano, and Palazzolo. --.--...^o
Laricia and Galoro ' ' ' ' 7S
Lake of Nemi and its Environs, including the I'owns of Gensano
and Nemi 82
Ardea. ---- ---91
CiviTA Lavinia --97
Towns on the Coast, including Ostia, Porto, and Nettuno. - 100
Velletri and the Pontine Marshes. - - - - . -12?
Marino. -- i^y
Grotta Ferrata. i^«
RoccA DEL Papa and Monte Cavo. i rj
TUSCULANUM of LUCULLUS. - -- - - - - . i rg
Frascati. ---. j5-
Modern Villas at Frasc ATI i^q
Monte Porzio. 180
Palestrina. - 182
Gabia, and other ancient Towns in the Neighbourhood of Tuscu-
LUM and Pr^eneste. 209
a
Vill
JLAT^ Page
XL Part of Marino, wiiH the Colonna Palace and the lower
Fountain. 137
XII. Cottage at Grotta Ferrata. 143
XIII. Town of Roc c A DEL Papa - . i'i7-r*--n'^^-
fuMuhcJ !»■ U^naman.HuntlMt *• Ormc. Fatrtn^tn- it>w.lforrts*i'''i ■
DESCRIPTION
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OF
: i
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LA 1 1 U M, eifipqiiV Uivii V(f
\ ' X} Jio . = .'38 xto Loii::jii£!^e£
. ^ ' • ••;
f. DESCRIPTION OF THE CAMPAGNA WITH RESPECT TO
SITUATION AND CLIMATE.
While travellers are affected by what they call the desolate
appearance of the country round Rome, they either know
not, or forget the many interesting places still left to attract
admiration and excite curiosity.
Indeed it can scarcely be said with truth that this ex-
tensive plain is desolate, although to the first glance it
presents an aspect of ruined edifices and uncultivated nature.
Groves, fields, and cottages are lost in the wide expanse of
its distant prospect; but, on a nearer inspection, these hum-
bler objects, intermixed with the striking features peculiar to
the country, are observed with a pleasure undiminished by
expectation. ' ^ ''
Immediately round Rome are villas and gardens, which
might vie with those of the ancients for taste, splendour, and
magnificence ; but it cannot be denied that, during the first
eight miles on the road to Naples, the eye rests on fe^'
habitable dwellings. Ample amends are however made by
2
the noble remains of tombs, aqueducts, and temples, which
forcibl}' recal to the memory, and paint to the imagination,
those ages in yvhich Rome gave laws to the Avorld. To these
objects must be added a picturesque back-ground of hills, no
less famous in history than beautiful in form and colouring;
and a sky, where the brilliancy of the purest azure is softened
by light vapours near the horizon. ' ^^
The city of Rome, unequally divided by the river Tiber,
is situated on seven little hills, ia the midst of a plain nearly
circular, of about forty miles diameter.
This celebrated plain, the theatre of such great events, and
the repository of such numerous monuments of taste and
genius, is almost entirely surrounded by the Apennines, ex-
cept to the south and south-east, where it is bounded by the
.Mediterranean. It has, to the west, the chain of hills which
terminate in Mount Argentaro, on the Tuscan coast; to the
north-west, Radicofani; to the north, Spoleto, Norcia, and
Nocera; and to the north-east, Sabina and Abruzzo Ultra;
to the east and south-east, it has Sora, Venafro, Tiano,
Pondi, and Abruzzo Citra.
We are informed by Varro, and other ancient authors, that
when Rome was first built, the lower ground was a marshy
lake, the remains of an extinct volcano; which accounts for
the story of Curtius leaping into the gulph, and other anec-
dotes relative to the nature of the country.
The soil oi the Campagna is indeed wholly volcanic; and
the mephitic exhalations arising from the various lakes and
marshes, such as the Solfatara of Tivoli, the stagnant waters
of Ostia, Maccarese, Nettuno, and other places, are un-
doubtedly prejudicial to the atmosphere. Yet is the climate
6
far from being so unhealthy as is generally supposed; and
the heat is certainly not so insupportable as in other latitudes^
where it might less reasonably be expected to prevail.
On the day of St. Laurence, the 10th of August, a season
in which the heat is usually greater than at any other time
of the year, the inhabitants of the Campagna begin to burn
the stubble, as the harvest is then completed. This useful
operation, which purifies the air and destroys noxious reptiles,
is continued for several days, and communicates a great
addition of atmospherical heat. When, added to this, it has
happened that the wind has been at S.S.W. the thermometer
of Reaumur, in the open air, has been known to be at 30".
But the evenings are temperate, and the nights extremely
cool in proportion to the heat of the day ; for which reason^
it would not be prudent to sleep with an open window. The
evening air is not so dangerous as is generally apprehended
by foreigners. Physicians recommend their not exposing
themselves to it during the first hour after sunset, when the
dew falls in abundance; but the natives walk at all times
with impunity, and the women, without any covering on their
head except their fine hair enclosed in a net, or bound with
a ribbond. Numerous parties of young people walk about
the streets of Rome, and of the neighbouring towns and
villages, to a very late hour, particularly on moonlight nights,
singing, and playing on the guittar. Formerly it Avas the
custom for the nobility of both sexes to meet in Piazza
Colonna, one of the principal squares of Rome, after they had
been at different assemblies, and remain there walking and
conversing, till the sun appeared above the lofty palaces
which form one side of the square.
b2
Seldom any rain falls during the months of July and Au-
gust, and the air is perfectly calm, except when a light sea-
breeze is felt at noon : mephitic exhalations abound at this-
5ea§on of the year in the neighbourhood of any stagnant
waters, and in the unfrequented parts of Rome, particularly
near the catacombs. The few inhabitants who remain there
are subject to fevers and agues, but their number is A'ery
inconsiderable; and no danger is to be apprehended where,
fires are kept up by any considerable assemblage of houses.
For this reason, the cottagers of the Campagna usually,
leave their dwellings during summer, and sleep, either at
Rome under the porticoes of the palaces and public edifices,,
or in the towns nearest to their little possessions. If they
persist in remaining too long they get agues; and the greatest
number of patients in the Roman hospitals, for the months of
July, August, and Septai^ber^ consi^st^ pf peasants fvom t^p,
circumjacent fields. -, .■.■'■. -. • ;, "? " ■.,■.
The copious rains of September clear the atmosphere, and?
after that period there is no apprehension of noxious vapours..
During this month, and the two preceding it, no one can be
compelled to change his dwelling; as there is a law to tliat.
effect, for the purpose of preventing the pernicious conse-
q^uences supposed to ensue, from the necessity of leaving a.
well-inhabited part of the town for one less salubrious.
The same winds which brought the saline and sulphureous
particles so prejudicial to the atmosphere^ bring also the
humid vapours which descend in refreshing rains, and coun-^
teract the bad effects produced by them. The great number,
of fountains and jets d'eaii at Rome, and in all the neigh-
bouring towns and villages, contributes equally to purify the air.
and diffuse a most agreeable freshness; while natural cascades
ih many of the valleys are productive of similar advantages,
r The Tiber and Anio are also of great utility; and as most
of the winds blow at no considerable height, and pass tho
woods of Ariano, La Fajola, Astura, Nettuno, Ostia, and
Monterano, they leave, on their passage, a great portion of
the noxious exhalations and malignant vapours, and become
much more pure before they arrive at Rome, or any of the
circumjacent townSi.
On this account, though, as is well known, the cypress,-
oak, chesnut, and some other trees, exhale vapours which are
not esteemed salubrious; there are many plants, shrubs, and
trees, natives of this soil,, which contribute greatly, by their
eifluvia,^.to the purification of the atmosphere; and even those
above mentioned intercept and absorb much of the mephi-
tic air, on account of their high and thick foliage; for, it is
clearly demonstrated that they receive as much nutriment,
from the atmosphere as from the earth; and it is not uncom-
mon to see them grow, out of ruined edifices, where they^
have taken root merely in the casual earth deposited by the-
winds, or composed of the mouldering bricks or stone. .
•iThe. scirocco and Y^'^ecc/o,, south-east and south-west winds,-
are therefore, notwithstanding their generally bad reputation,-,
much less troublesome at some seasons than at others; and,
in the winter, the former contributes much to the mildness >
of the climate. In summer it is undoubtedly oppressive;
and the inconvenience of it is more peculiarly felt, because,,
in general, the air of Italy is uncommonly light and exhila-
rating. In other countries, the same wind has probably at
similar effect, but the contrast is .not so remarkable. .
I
6
The tramontana, or north wind, is delightful in spring and
autumn: its clastic quality animates all nature, and clears
the sky from every cloud and vapour which it conveys into
the sea; hut in winter it is less beneficial, and occasions
severe cold. Salicetti, a man of great learning, and physician
of the late pope, used to say, *^ Soirocco ^ un amico nojoso,
ma tramontana h una nemica micidiale." — ^ Scirocco is a
tiresome fi'iend, but tramontana is a murderous enemy."
The ponente, or west wind, deserves the character it had
amongst the ancient poets: their Zephyrs and Favonian
breezes have lost none of their charms; and it requires the
pen of a Virgil or Tibullus, to describe the beauty of this
climate when it is predominant; wafting, as it does, on its
dewy wings, the perfume of orange groves and aromatic
meadows.
In the morning, the wind is commonly easterly; declining
sometimes to the north, it becomes north-east ; and at others,
turning to the south, settles in scirocco. At noon, however,
it is usually «outh, which declines to east or west, but more
commonly to the latter, and often becomes due west, which
lasts all the evening and part of the night. This, as w-ell as
the northerly winds, is always accompanied by a consi-
derable dew.
The southerly wind, which predominates about noon, more
•especially in summer, is a sea-breeze, and renders the heat
much less troublesome than would otherwise be the case at
an hour when the sun has «o much influence.
Although the knowledge of the ancients, with respect to
natural philosoph}^ and particularly that branch which
d-elates to volcanos, was involved in fabulous tradition,
1
they well knew how to avail themselves of the many advan-
tages produced by these tremendous operations of nature;
and they felt more gratitude to their Creator for the benefits
arising from these subterraneous fires> than is usually pro-
fessed by those who esteem themselves greatly their superiors.
in wisdom and science. They discovered^ that in islands the
cmters of extinct volcanos made excellent harbours; and
that^ both thfere and on the continent^ the fields in the vicinity
of such places were eminently fertile. They also found that
the mineral waters and tepid baths were useful in the cure
of many disorders, and that the exhalations of half extinct
volcanos rendered the climate more temperate,, and conse-
quently more agreeablc
The most ancient of the Greeks gave the name of Elysium
to every place which had been struck by tire from heaven;
and they supposed burning mountains to have had the same
©rigio. When we consider the astonishing beauty of situa-
tions, where the beneficial effects^ of fire, mitigated by time,,
have succeeded its former ravages, and observe the uncommon
strength of vegetation, and the peculiar softness of air which,
characterise them, we are not disposed to think there is any
thing exaggerated in the description of the Elj^sian Fields : if,,
©n the other hand, we contrast this attractive scenery with,
an aspect of the same place under the immediate influence
of that element, which is equally productive of terror and
delight, we are forcibly reminded of the infernal regions,,
and are willing to agree that Tartarus and Elysium are not.
ill represented by an active and an extinct volcano.
. From all these considerations it will not be improper to-
conclude, that the advantages derived from subterraneous^
fire amply counterbalance the momentary devastations it
may have occasioned in its explosions, and the more perma-
nent effects of noxious vapours which its remains continue
to produce.
Tepid breezes in the most rigorous season of the year,
wholesome pasturage, nutritive vegetables, and salutary
springs, are blessings which climates of this description in-
fallibly possess. Here the mind is never depressed by the
weight of the atmosphere, nor the faculties benumbed by the
chilling blasts which, in many other countries, destroy every
comfort of existence. Vigorous and clieerful old age is here
fitlly capable of enjoying the social hour, and the pleasures
which temperance and moderation allow; and though life may
•not be prolonged in these climates beyond the usuallimits pre-
scribed to it in others, it certainly glides more smoothly, and
is freed from those minute cares, and tiresome precautions,
which, in many other parts of Europe, render old age a
'heavy burden, and interrupt, not only the enjoyments, but
even the improvement of youth.
We have mentioned the superior excellence of the water
in the Campagna; and, it is well known, that wherever this
[ .advantage is general, the climale must necessarily be favour-
\ »able to the health of its inhabitants.
LATIUM;
AND
ITS FIRST INHABITANTS.
Latium is supposed to have originally comprised Sabina,
Umbria, and Etruria, as well as that part of Italy which is
now called Campagna di Roma ; but Etruria soon became
independent, under the federal government of twelve cities :
Umbria and Sabina also separated themselves, and Latium,
properly so called, had for confines the river Anio from the
city of Tibur (now Tivoli) to its junction with the Tiber,
thence the Tiber to Ostia, where it throws itself into the
sea ; and from Ostia, the coast taking in Laurentum and
Ardea, with the more inland towns of Lanuvium, Aricia,
Labicum, Gabii, and Proeneste.
Velitrae and Cora were cities of the Volscians, as were
also the maritime towns of Antium and Circeium, all of
which were afterwards annexed to Latium, and extended
its limits considerably to the south.
The first inhabitants of this country mentioned in his-
tory are the Sicanians; they are described as a barbarous
people, ignorant of the most common arts and sciences,
and living in caves and forests. In their time, it is probable
that all the southern part of Italy was denominated Sicania ;
c
10
a name which at present is only retained by the island of
Sicily, and annexed to the titles of the king of Naples, who^
bcinc: stiled sovereign of the two Sicilies, preserves to a
portion of the continent some remembrance of its original
appellation.
These barbarians are said to have been conquered, and
in great measure expelled by the Aborigines, a people who
are reported to have come down from the mountains headed^
by Janus, and under his government io have rendered
themselves masters of Latium.
During the reign of Janus, whose history is lost in alle-
gory and fable, Saturn is supposed to have taken refuge in
Italy, being obhged to fly from Crete, whence he was
expelled by his rebellious son Jupiter. Some authors be-
lieve him and Janus to have been the same person ; and
that Oenotreus, the first planter of vineyards in Latiumv
from whom the people also derived the name of Oeno-
trians, was no other than this same monarch, under diffe^
rent titles.
To Saturn is universally attributed the first civilization of
\\ the Aborigines : he gave them laws, and introduced among
them the comforts of life without its luxuries. In his time
^ ^ peace and abundance, or what the poets call the golden
age, w^as their portion ; and their descendants gloried in the
appellation given to their country, of " Saturnian land."
The Pelasgi were also very ancient inhabitan4:s of Latium :
they were a people of Achaia, in Greece, and their firsi
migration was into Thessaly ; Avhence they are said to have
come np the Adriatic, and to have landed at one of the
mouths of the Po. It appears that they became aUies of
4
11
the Aborigines against the Umbrians and Sicanians, and
were admitted to inhabit Latium under their chiefs Italus
and Hesperus, from whom the country afterwards assumed
the names of Italy and Hesperia.
To the Arcadian Evander, who built the city of Pallan-
teum, on the banks of the Tiber, is attributed the intro-
duction of letters. They must have been Greek characters,
fium which the Romans, in succeeding ages, varied very
little ; but the more studious inhabitants of Attica, and
other enlightened provinces of Greece, altered, by degrees,
tl>e form of these characters ; insomuch that the two alpha^
bets, though they proceeded from the same source, became
very different in the course of a few centuries ; leaving, how-
ever, the analogy still perceptible, as is also that which sub-
sists between the old Etruscan and the Greek.
It is almost needless to say that ^neas is supposed to
have landed in Latium during the-reigii of Evander, though
some historians have doubted whether he left Asia, on the
authority of Homer, who says, that " Jove hated the race
of Priam, and that -.Eneas and his posterity should reign
over the Trojans."
They also quote Strabo, who asserts that iEneas reigned
in Troy, left the kingdom to his descendants, that his
tomb was to be seen at Berecinthus, in Phrygia, and that
many towns in that vicinity were named after his son
Ascanius.
An ingenious Italian author, in a book intituled Apologia
deV Eneide. has endeavoured to reconcile these seeminij con-.
Iradictions by supposing, with great probability, that iEneas-
came into Italy with his son Ascanius, married the daugh-
■ C 2
ter of King Latinus, lived witlf her three years, and then
clandestinely embarked for Troy, leaving Ascanius admi-
nistrator of the kingdom, during the minority of the child
whom it was expected Lavinia would produce. No men-
tion being made of the death of ^Eneas, but only of his
having disappeared on the border of the little river Numi-
cus, which runs into the sea near the mouth of the Tiber ;
and a passage in Virgil *, where the Sibyl tells him that in
his old age Lavinia Ihall bring her son Silvius from his
asylum in the woods, seem to confirm the conjecture of his
having returned to Troy. But it is useless to repeat the
various, and often contradictory accounts of events, which
muft naturally be involved in the obscurity of these remote
,', and fabulous ages. It is scarcely possible to believe that
traditional history is not founded on truth, however per-
verted by fiction in the lapse of centuries ; and we may
therefore venture to suppose that the principal persons, whose
j names are transmitted to us as agents in the changes which
took place at this early period, really existed, and laid the
foundation of that empire whose arts and arms enlightened
and subdued the world.
Most of the cities of Latiuni owed their foundation to
Greek colonies ; it is therefore necessary to give some ac-
count of these expeditions, of the motives which led ta
them, of the mode in which they were conducted, and of
their influence on the customs and manners of the primitive
inhabitants. ■
* Book VL
IS
COLONIAL ESTABLLSHMENTS
OF THE
ANCIENTS IN LATIUM.
THEIR TOWNS^ ROADS, AND COUNTRY-HOUSES.
Jt is well known that, in the early ages of history, the^
leaders of colonies were considered as superior beings,
acting under the immediate influence of divine inspiration,
guided by prophesies and oracles, protected, during their
earthly existence, by supernatural power,, and finally ad-
mitted into the class of those immortals from whom they
were usually supposed to descend.
Most of them were men who had distinguished themselves
in war, and who, either froni domestic misfortune, or public
calamity, were compelled to quit their country and seek a.
distant residence.
Some were destined by their parents, and educated pur-
posely to become founders of cities, and chiefs of the. ad-
venturous youth enrolled for these peregrinations: they were
invested with a sacred character; and as neither genius nor
valour alone, however productive of the qualities more
14
peculiarly requisite for .the success of dangerous expeditions,
could, even in an age of enthusiasm, be accounted com-
pletely resistless, they had recourse to a still more power-
ful method of enforcing obedience to their commands ; they
inspired their followers with a religious awe and a confi-
dence in celestial protection, which operated forcibly ou
their minds, and effectually prevented the discouragement
and mutinies incidental to long voyages, and difficult euter-
prizes.
The leader, therefore, endowed with pencuiiuun and
firmness, disdained not to pretend supernatural Jiiotives for
fixing on whatever spot he thought best adapUnl for the
establishment of his colony, and foundation of his city.
Cicero, in his treatise on Divination, says, " What colony
was ever sent out of Greece into Etolia, Ionia, Sicily, or
Italy, without the Pythian, Dodonnean, or Ammonian
oracle ?" .
That they often applied for instruction at the altars of
these deities cannot be doubted ; and we are told that not
only the place, but the leader, as well as the sacrifices to
be performed, and the laws to be enacted, were pointed out
\yy the answer of the oracle.
The Pythia, the priests of Dodona, and those of Jupiter
Ammon, were probably versed in astronomy and geo-
graphy ; indeed we know that the latter were greatly con-
versant with those sciences at a time when they were little
cultivated by mankind in general. It was, therefore, by no
means difficult for them to give advice and directions that
anight well appear more than human to a band of ignorant
15
wanderers ; and it is also possible that the leader might in-
iiuence the- decision of the oracle, the application to which
was usually his proposal, or that of his parents.
The secret history of many families Avas entrusted to the
priest or priestess of the most celebrated temples ; and to
their' honour it may be remarked, that there are few inr
stances of their having made an improper use of this im-
portant trust; neither can it be denied that great utility
resulted from the oracular instructions above described.
V- The expeditions of the ancients were also attended by
augurs and diviners, who interpreted the mysterious words
of the oracle, and presided over the foundation of the new
cities, by pointing out the precise spot where they were to
be situated, the extent of their walls, tlie divinities whose
temples were to be erected, and the seasons most proper for
imploring their assistance.
The three great events more peculiarly conspicuous in the
early part of the Grecian history are the voyage of the
Argonauts, and the sieges of Thebes and Troy ; and these
appear to have been the first causes of emigration from
Greece and Asia into Ital}^ of which any authentic record
has been preserved ; for the mythological accounts of Janus
and Saturn are involved in the obscurity common to the age
in which they are supposed to have lived, and the head of the
former on the most ancient coins of Latin m, with a galley
for the reverse, can at best be considered only as a conjec-
tural argument in favour of his having been the first who
passed the sea to establifli his residence in this part of Italy.
But the Argonauts, of whom so many fables are related,
and whose history would be highly interesting, were it pos-
\\sil
16
ible wholly to separate truth from fiction, appear undoubt-
edly to have visited the Tyrrhenian sea, as that portion of
the Mediterranean which is bordered by the western coast of
Italy was anciently denominated.
These heroic adventurers, headed by Jason, after suc-
ceeding in their expedition to Colchos, were perhaps tempted
by curiosity, or other motives, to land on the coasts and
islands in this neighbourhood; perhaps also they were driven
hither by storms and contrary winds, which they were not
sufficiently skilful to oppose. Diodorus Siculus, and other
authors, inform us that they left names to many of the
places at which they touched ; such as Argoon, from their
galley the Argo, to the principal port of Aethalia, now Porto
Ferrajo in the isle of Elbe ; Telamoiie, from Telamon one of
the heroes, to a harbour on the coast which still retains his
name, and several others, which seem to unite in proving
that the Argonauts, before they returned to Greece, coasted
along the principal shores of the Mediterranean ; and, if
we may believe ancient historians, they visited Latium to
gratify the wishes of Medea, who was desirous of becoming
acquainted with Circe, the great mistress of her art.
This famous enchantress, who is said to have inhabited
what was then called the island of Aea, now Monte Cir-
cello, was perhaps, like Dido, the leader of a colony ; and, if
we may form any conjecture from her title of daughter of
the sun, and her scientific knowledge, then accounted magic,
^e may suppose that she came from the east.
' That events of this nature took place can scarcely be
e remembered, tliat these alterations
cannot be attributed to any cause which tends to destroy
the validity of these observations made by Vitruvius. Even
at present, surrounded by every exterior disadvantage, the
natives of Italy possess, in an eminent degree, the qualifica-
tions which that author and Hippocrates ascribe to the na-
ture of the soil and temperature of the air. Of this truth,
all who have i*esided in the country for any length of time
will bear testimony, as they must have remarked those qua-
lities which, improved by tlie vigilance of a government
53
piwscssed of the power and inclination to keep the virtues
in unceasing exercise, rendered the Romans, what it is
scarcely possible any other nation can becouic, the conque-
rors and legislators of mankind.
After considering the nature of the soil and the purity of
the watery the next care of the founders of the Latian
cities was, to situate them as conveniently as possible with
respect to the winds most predominant in the climate which
they were destined to inhabit. We are told, that, by a wise
attention to this important object, they not only prevented
disorders from taking rise within their walls, but equally pre-
served themselves from all exterior infection. The modern
Italians are not unmindful of these precautions ; and they
always, as much as possible, endeavour to give a southern
aspect to the apartments which they chiefly intend to in-
habit. They are also peculiarly carefiil to stop the progress
of epidemical disorders, by purifying the air, and by every
other method requisite to prevent infection ; and the vigi-
lance observed at their Lazaretti and health offices is well
worthy of imitation.
The first settlers appear to have usually preferred the sea
coast ; not, as it might seem, from its being the first which,
occurred to them, for they often touched at various harboui*s
before they or the oracle determined clearly where they were
to fix ; but because a maritime situation united many im-
portant advantages, which they were not easily induced to
relinquish, unless a sandy soil and unsheltered aspect obliged
them to penetrate farther into the country.
On these occasions they established themselves near a
aavigable river, whence they found means to tura the
M
24
water to the different purposes of cultivation, and other arts,
essential to the comforts of their existence.
The woods in which Latium abounded were objects of
great importance to the ancients. They excited a species of
religious veneration, and were supposed to be more immedi-
ately under the influence of the divinity. We see in paint-,
ings, bas-reliefs, and mosaicks, the images of deities which
used to be placed in these woods ; and we know that most
temples had a consecrated grove adjoining to them. This
was indeed a common practice throughout the ancient world ;
and Horace alludes to it when, speaking of an incredulous
philosopher, he calls him one of those who think " lucus
lignum^'' " a grove nothing more than timber.^'
Care was taken to cut avenues through these woods for
the conveniency of passengers, and for the purification of
the air. After the establishment of the Roman republic, all
forests, woods, and groves, were under the immediate di-
rection of the consuls, who preserved them for public
utility, employing the trees of the former in the dock yards
and arsenals ; but the groves dedicated peculiarly to any
deity, and annexed to his temple, were never felled, except
in cases of the most urgent necessity.
Groves of laurel were in high estimation; they were
supposed to be impervious to lightning, and salutary
against pestilential disorders. On this account we are told
that the Emperor Commodus retired to Laurentum, near
which place these trees were in great abundance, to avoid
a contagious malady which at that time raged in the
capital.
Varro tells us, that the custom of marking out the cir-
cumference of a new city with a bull and a cow joked to a
plough, was derived from the primitive Tuscans, and gene-
rally observed throughout Latium. It was considered as a
religious ceremony, and auspices were previously taken ;
guided by the furrow, they made a ditch, and heaped up the
earth interiorly towards raising a wall. From the circular
form occasioned by this operation the town was called Orbs,
and afterwards, by corruption, Urbs ; the space beyond the
wall Pomoerium, from " post murum."
When Romulus laid the foundation of the city of Rome,
he carefully performed all these ceremonies, of which ample
mention is made by various authors ancient and modern ; and
no doubt the same customs were observed at the building of
most of the cities of Latium. We cannot avoid being im-
pressed with respect and admiration for this people, when,
"we reflect on the just sense entertained by them of the im-
portance of religious duties. No undertaking was unaccom-
panied by an invocation of that aid which they deemed
essentially requisite for the ensurance of its success; and
however erroneous might be their mode of worship, the prin-
ciple on which they acted inspired them with a confidence
-well suited to communicate firmness to their decisions, and
energy to their actions.
Having thus commenced their labours, the next care was
to mark out the streets, to circumscribe spaces for the tem-
ples of the tutelar deities, and for other public buildings ;
and, lastly, to assign to each colonist a portion of ground
sufficient for a habitation suitable to his rank, to which
afterwards were annexed fields without the city, appropri-j
ated to his maintenance.
E
26
The streets were in a vight line, narrow, but well paved ;
with a more elevated space on each side for the accommoda-
tion of foot passengers.
I'he roads, paved like the streets of the cities with large flat
stones, were rendered as solid, as short, and as commodious
as possible.
The highways, under the direction of the consuls, were
named after the magistrate who ordered them to be con-
structed ; and a certain sum was occasionally exacted from the
possessors of lands, for the purpose of keeping them in repair.
The cross roads, entitled " vicinales,'' led from one high-
way to another, and to villages, farms, and country-houses :
these were under the care of the magistrates of the little
towns and hamlets, who obliged the neighbouring proprie-
tors to contribute their just shares of the expence; the
names of these roads were aflaxed, at certain distances, to
indicate who was the owner of the land through which they
passed, and how far it extended.
It is to be observed, that what the ancients called
" stratas vias," were those of pebbles and gravel, resembling
the modern roads ; and that when they say " vias silice stra-
tas," paved roads, they mean those constructed with large
unequal stones, such as are seen in the remains of the Via
Appia and Via Flaminia. The consular roads were all made
in this manner, and the others were denominated military ways.
When they mention ** vias saxo,'' or, " lapide quadrato
stratas," they speak of those paved with flat stones cut
square, which were considered as ornamental, and led to
temples or other public buildings.
The Italian word "strada," which equally implies street and
.27
•road, the German " strasse/' and the English " street/* are
-evidently derived from " strata."
The Carthaginians are «aid to have been the inventors of
paving highways. Montfaucon, and many other writers,
have given minute descriptions of the cement, and every
thing relative to the formation of these roads.
Of the high roads, there were often two which led to the
same point, one inland and the other near the coast, to
facilitate communication and commerce. As examples of
these, may be named the '* Via Appia*' and the "Via Domitia;*'
the first of which led through Capua to Puteoli, and the
second through Cuma and Bai2e: of the first, considerable
portions still remain, and we have an encomiastic poem of
Statius, which fully describes the latter.
Another species of roads was the subterranean, invented,
as is supposed, by the Egyptians, and adopted by the
Romans in the times -of luxury: these were admirably cal-
culated for warm climates and mountainous situations, but
could never have been of general utility in Latium. They
are fully described by Pliny, and considerable vestiges of
them remain in different parts of Italy.
With respect to the open roads, they deserve the liighest
praise, as monuments of the good sense of the ancient
Romans, and of their watchfulness for the advantage of the
public. On each side was an elevation nearly sixteen inches
and a half in -height, and nine and a half in breadth, called
" crepidines;" and, at the distance of little more than fivQ
yards, were regularly placed, on this parapet, large stones,
each of the size of nineteen inches square and twenty seven
highj for the convcniency of travellers as resting places, or to
e2
assist tliem in mounting their horses. The road was higher
in the middle than on the sides, by which means it was alwaj^
preserved clean and dry, the rain being carried off by chan-
nels and small arches, which directed the waters into the-
adjoining fields.
In the street of Pompeia are to be seen holes ill the
parapet, which were made for- the purpose of t^^ing horses or
beasts of burden, and possibly the same was practised on the
high roads. Caius Gracchus is said to have been the first
who united them by bridges, making subterraneous channels-
to carry off the water; and to him the public was indebted
for\the great advantage of mile-stanes to ascertain the
distance from Rome. All these mile-stones were placed to
the left of the traveller who was on his way from Rome to-
Naples. Tlie inscriptions on the bridges were eiigraved on
each side. A miliary column, denominated " miliarium
aureum,'' was erected in the forum, at Rome, as the centre
•whence proceeded the different roads; and the several dis-
tances, to which they led, were marked on this column, by
order of Augustus.
But the most awful and interesting objects which met the
eye of the traveller, w^ere the numerous tombs and other
sepulchral monuments, which it was the custom to place, if
possible, near the public road. The inscriptions on them
usually began with, "Siste, viator!" — "Stop, traveller!" and
frequently they conveyed some moral instruction, which, as
Varro justly remarks, reminded him that he, as well as those
whose names were so recorded, was mortal. Few passed
without bestowing a prayej* for " peace to their ashes,'' -or
that " the earth might lie light upon them."
I V
The vestiges still remaining of these noble monuments, are
not only graceful ornaments to the " Campagna," but they
also inspire reflections and remembrances highly conducive
to the advantage and information of a mind, desirous to
gain, from this classical scenery, benefits more essential than
mere amusement.
The ancients constantly endeavoured to make their public
roads in a, straight line, as far as circumstances would admit,
and equally took pains that the " vicinales'' should cross them
at right angles. This they could easily effect when they
built a city, with respect to its streets and lanes.
,j5Two principal streets crossed each other and terminated
at four gates, the aspect of which. was directed to each of
the chief points of the compass. That from the eastern to
the western gate, was called " Card o;" and that from the
northern to the southern, " Decumanus.'' The same symme-
trical division of ground was observed by the Romans in
their camps, which are exactly described by Polybius, and
which appear to have resembled their cities as nearly as
possible; with this difference, that, in the latter, the forum
was situated at the intersection of. the two principal streets,
and, in the camp, one extremity was set apart for the
tribunal, place of worship, and tents of the commanding
officers.
We have a description of the city of Antinoe, built l3y the
Emperor Adrian, in. Egypt, which gives a clear idea of the
mode of construction then in use, and of the plan on which
the architects proceeded; but it cannot be supposed that
the towns of Latium, most of which were very ancient,
could exactly resemble a city completed with every advan-
so
tagc, introduced at a time when the arts had attained the
summit of perfection.
We have ah'cady observed, that the towns of Latium were
orbicular, whereas the form of Antinoe was " a perfect
square, the diameter of which was two miles, the length of
the two principal streets which intersected each other, and
were nearly forty-five feet in breadth. These of course di-
vided the city into four equal parts; and the other transver-
sal streets, less* wide, but of equal length, ran parallel to
each other, and were so disposed as to afford commodious
outlets to the houses. Covered porticos five or six feet in
breadth, and as long as the streets, defended passengers from
the sun and rain. These porticos were arched, and one side
of the arch was supported by the houses, while the other
rested on stone columns of the Corinthian order."
The modern city of Palermo gives us some notion of this
plan of building; and it has certainly the best efiect imagin-
able. With respect to sea-ports, however, the ancients, as
well as the moderns, wxre obliged to vary from their general
rules, and to adapt the disposal of the streets and public
edifices to the nature of the situation.
Most of the consular roads terminated at a sea-port, where,
by the projection of a promontory, or by the formation of a
crater, the land had acquired an aspect and a semicircular
direction suitable to the purpose.
Where these advantages did not naturally occur, pains
•were taken, by artificial moles, to imitate gulphs and bays
•formed by nature, as an asylum for vessels. When a small
island, as is frequently the case in the Mediterranean, was
found to Ue opjwsite to the shore, in such a direction as to
31
keep off the most dangerous winds, and add security to the
harbour, a situation so advantageous was scarcely ever
neglected.
It was usual to erect a light-house on this island, and, if
no such existed, on the extremity of the promontory or mole.
These moles were composed of immense stones thrown
into the sea; and, for greater strength, where the water was
deep, large vessels were sunk as foundations for them. From
the towers at the extremity of these moles, came chains for
closing the port by the aid of machines: and as great pre-
cautions were observed not to oppose the natural current of
the sea, as may be clearly perceived by an inspection of the
vestiges of the most celebrated ancient ports of the Mediter-
ranean, they always remained clear and unincumbered by
sand: more particularly when, to avoid the continual dis-
charge of it which the current gradually occasioned, the moles
were constructed like bridges, with enormous piles consoli-
dated by pozzolana, an earth which has the property of
hardening and becoming adliesive in the sea.
These moles were also delightful walks, where people
assembled to converse, and watch the arrival of vessels;
and fresh water was conveyed to them from the nearest
source, for the conveniency of mariners, who, immediately
on landing, could, without loss of time, supply themselves
and their vessels from these fountains, which also cooled the
air, and were no less ornamental than useful.
In the furthest recess of the harbour was the " navale,'' or
marine arsenal, with the buildings under which the galleys
were kept when drawn on shore, the magazines, rope-walks,
and different storehouses. A narrow canal, opposite to the
entrance of the port, led to this recess, CouvJiodious land-'
ing-places, columns with rings for the c^^bl^^ and different
fabrics for use and accommodation, surrounded thq harbour
with an appearance of symmetry congenial to, the correct ideas
of the inhabitants of this country. ^ ^J(^ .]
In sea-portSj the forum was: usually near the harbour, and
it was surrounded by porticos; leaving lal c(bnsidcrab]e space'
between each column for shops and lodges above them.
-> Contiguous to the forum weffe- th6" Basil icoe" and
** Calcidica^,'' spacious buildings with porticos, for the use
of pleaders and merchants, and so situated as to be warm
in winter and cool in summer. -i ^v i'^. i>kii
Considerable care was taken of the poor, as well by the
inhabitants of Latium as by the Greeks. Great halls, the
roofs of which were arched, stood open at all hours for the
3'eception of those who had no appropriate dwelling. In the
centre of these rooms was a fire provided and kept up at
the public exjxjnce, with benches round it where the people
sat to warm themselves and to converse by day, and where
they slept at night. To. these places, called " leschaj" by
the Greeks, the Latins gave the name of " stationes;"
and the candidates for public employments came hither to
solicit the votes of the people.
The hospitals were annexed to the temples of Esculapius,
and great care was taken to choose the most healthy situa-
tions for them.
The ** Taberna meritoria," a public building for the
reception of invalid soldiers, was an institution of later ages.
Those who served their country in the earlier times, having
lands assigned to them, found them sufficient for their main-
35
tcnance; and indigence ^ras little known before extensive
commerce and eastern luxury pervaded, and, as usual,
corrupted the state by the introductioli of additional wealthy
and, consequently, of additional wants and misery.
The " Thermopolia," were shops where warm liquors were
sold. They seem to have resembled modern coffee-houses,
and, like them, served as lounging places, where people met
and conversed on the topics of the day. These, we know,
were in use during the first Punic war, and, possibly, long
before that time.
The houses for private individuals, and even for those who
had considerable employments in the state, were of a very
moderate size. In the early ages of architecture they con-
sisted of only one floor, and the rooms were small.
It seems apparent that the ancients lived much in the
open air, or at least in vestibules, porticos, and peristyles.
At a later period, when two or more stories were added to
the house, the upper apartments were inhabited by servants
and dependants; and, we have reason to believe, that the
stairs were high, and generally inconvenient.
The houses were insulated, to avoid the danger of fire, as
also to render them more airy; which appears to have been
one of the first considerations of the Latins. Towards the
street they had, indeed, as few windows as possible; the
lio-ht and air introduced through these apertures coming
chiefly from the inner courts, or, if the house was situated
near the walls, from the circumjacent countr3^ This prac-
tice not only made their dwellings more private, but also
less subject to be infected by the noxious air, from which
even the best regulated cities cannot be entirely exempt.
34
The larger houses had a grove behind them, or a few trees
in the middle of the court, with a garden, in which herb&
and other vegetables were cultivated for the use of the table.
It is needless to say with what solidity the walls were
constructed, as the numerous remains of them clearly evince
it: the modern Itahans yet persist in this custom, so essen-
tial to the salubrity and comfort of their habitations; and^
it is much to be regretted, that it is not generally adopted
in countries, where a less favourable climate seems to render
it absolutely necessary.
The roofs were as light as possible, and, at the same time,
very strong; which advantages they united by the introduc-
tion of volcanic scoria, or vases and tubes of " terra cotta/'
It is believed, and indeed almost proved to a certainty^
that the ancient inhabitants of Etruria had conductors to
prevent the destructive effects of lightning; and, if so, it is
more than probable, that this beneficial invention was
adopted in many parts of Latium, where Tuscan manners,
and customs prevailed.
Some notion of the distribution of the apartments in the
Louses of the ancients, may be acquired from an inspection
of convents and monasteries. These buildings are in general
very old, though not of the times which now engage our
attention; but they were evidently constructed so as, in
some measure, to resemble the fabrics of better ages; as the
dresses of their inhabitants give us no very imperfect idea of
those worn by their ancestors, their form not having varied
for many centuries.
What constitutes the principal resemblance between the
religious houses of modern Italy, and the dwellings of
(S5
ancient Latium, is the mode of having rooms witli only one
door, which communicates with the passage, gallery^ or
court. The Latins in this manner liad in each room a door,
-which led to the portico surrounding the inner court, deno-
minated " peristyle,'' or, in humbler dwellings, to an open
«pace, called " impluvium;" which, in both cases, formed
-the centre of the habitation. ^'oHi
Lions' heads, of "term eotta,'' or sfttiilaT inventions, con-
veyed the water from the roof, wJfaich, falling into the court,
was carried off by channels.
The galleries, eating and sitting rooms of the ancients,
were of a size proportionate to the edifice; but the bed-
rooms were usually small, and had rarely more than one
window, which was near the ceiling, to preclude observation,
and also, in the first ages, to keep off too much air; as before
the introduction of talc and glass, the wind could only be
I^ept out by curtains or blinds, called "carbasa," with out-
side window-shutters,
•rhte windows appear to have been nearly square, ^except
those which came down to the ground, styled " Valvse;" and
Pliny mentions his gallery having them on each side. He
r2
S6
also speaks of a sleeping room which had one window to the
east, and another to the west.
Sometimes the rooms, constructed at the end of the house,
were curved, so as to admit the rays of the sun at all times of
the day; and, it is certain, that the ancients perfectly under-
stood tlie method of rendering their apartments comfortable, by
adapting their aspect to the different directions of the sun, ac-
cording to the seasons in which they intended to inhabit them.
1'he furniture, as far as we can judge from paintings and
has reliefs, and from the remains of what could not be con-
sumed by fire at Pompeia, was simple, serviceable, and in good
taste. The walls, ornamented with paintings remarkable for
their lightness and beauty of colouring, appear to have been
intended rather to give an air of cheerfulness than of magnifi-
cence to the apartments; ^5 we have reason to believe from the
numerous specimens which are left us in perfect preservation.
" Of the gardens and pleasure-grounds we can have no
means of acquiring information, except by the casual men-
tion made of them in ancient authors. We are, however,
told enough to make us conclude, that the Latins, at all
times, were fond of flowers, of trees, and of the rural beauties
of nature.
All Italy is a garden, and its least cultivated spots abound
in picturesque situations, which the modern improvers in less
happy climates in vain endeavour to imitate* When to this
we add the taste and knowledge of the ancients, their delight
in being seated or in walking leisurely in the open air, and
the accounts given us of their sumptuous fish-ponds, aviaries,
and menageries, we may form some ideas of the gardens of a
Sallust or a LucuUus. .>t!'j n.t c.ijuujiu i.
57
In the early times of the republic, the mode of living^was
too frugal to waste much ground on the mere gratification of
the eye, or the indolent pleasure of wandering through
aromatic shrubberies, and resting under domes supported by
Corinthian columns. It was from the plough, and not from
the xystus or conservatory, that Cincinnatus was called to
be dictator. ^~-.
But the period at which the " Campagna" must have been
most truly interesting, was when a Cato, a Varro, and others,
not less distinguished for their love of agriculture than for
their military and political talents, inhabited simple but
commodious dwellings, rendering the country around them ""^^
fertile, and its peasants industrious: under their protect^ing
care, and in consequence of their beneficial institutions and ,
exertions, the Latian fields assumed that cheerful aspect
which the benignant climate of Italy so naturally promotes; /
the health and morals of their domestics formed a principal j
object of their attention; and a contented mind, amidst the j
placid enjoyments of a vigorous old age, was at once the !
result and the reward of their rural occupations. "^
With what eloquence is such a life described by Cicero,
and with how much energy does he recommend the study of
agriculture*! This study indeed appears to have found
favour with the Romans most celebrated for their genius and
acquirements. They were not ungrateful for the happiness
they enjoyed in the possession of a country so peculiarly
favoured by Providence; and the treatises which they have
left U3 on this interesting subject are no less models of
* Cata de senectvtfe.
p^^uritj of diction and elegance of style, than faithful mefno-
ui'ials of the state of cultivation and local advantages of these
^till lovely scenes.
Columella, describing the sitiiation he would prefer for a
villa, speaks as follows*:
" If fortune would favour my des'ires, I should wish to
have an estate in a wholesome climate and fruitful country;
one part champaign, another hilly, with easy descents either
to the east or south: some of the lands cultivated, others
\vild and woody; not far from the sea, or a navigable river,
for the easier exportation of the produce of the farm, and
for the importation of necessaries Tiie champaign 'below
the house should be converted into grounds for |>asturage
and tillage, osiers and reeds; some 'of. the liills should be
divested of trees that they might sei've ^o'r com, w'hich
growing better on a soil moderately dry and rich than on
steep grounds, the upper corn-fields should have as little
declivity as possible, and ought to resemble those on the
plain. The other hills should be laid out in olive-grounds
and vineyards, and produce trees necessary to make praps
for those fruits, and, if occasion should require building, to
iifFord timber and stone, and also pasture for cattle. Con-
stant rivulets of water should descend from thence into the
meadows, gardens, and osier grounds, and also serve for the
conveniency of the cattle grazing in the fields."
Columella is *^suppo^ed to have written these reflections
about the 42d year of our aifra. VaiTO, whose works on
agriculture and rural economy are still extant, was a cotem-
* Book u chap. 2.
39^
•
porary of Cicero^ and Cato was his predecessor: we Iiave^
therefore, reason to believe, that what may be collected from
their several treatises gives us no imperfect idea of an
ancient villa, an appellation given by the Romans to their
rural residences, including whatever was then deemed useful
and agreeable.
These villas were divided into three parts.^ — JJrhana for the-
master and his family, vustica for the farm and husbandmen,,
s,ndfructuaria the storehouse for corn, wine, and oil.
The servants who more immediately attended on their
master, and belonged to the villa urbaiia, were the airiemes,-
or what the Italians still call the sfl/cr, speaking of the livery
servants collectively; the valets who, I believe, were usually
freedinen, the secretary styled noiarius; the gardeners for
the pleasure grounds called topiarii; and the musicians and
comedians, who performed plays, pantomimical dances,,
or other theatrical compositions for the entertainment of
the guests during the repasts.
This villa urbana, which was also denominated pseudo
nrhana^ and sometimes prcttorium^ in imitation of the title
given to that part of the camp where the praetor or other
commander-in-chief resided, had a peristyle or court sur-
rounded by a portico, at the farthest extremity of which,,
opposite to the gate of entrance, was the atrium or hall,,
with a portico on each side looking towards the places of
exercise, as bowhng-greens, galleries for wrestling, and other
similar buildings^: the baths were also annexed to this part
of the building, and were always situated so as to enjoy the
winter's setting sun. Besides the sitting-rooms, chambers,
library, and eating-rooms in this villa, they would often liavo
40
a tridiniumy or eating-room, in the midst of the park, and
sx)metimes a bed-room, for the sake of quiet and retirement.
In the villa rustica, or farm-house, dwelt the 'procurator, or
land-steward; the villiciis, hind, or chief of the husbandmen;
and the villica, housekeeper, under whose order were the
female servants employed in providing food and cloathing
for the family. The aviarius had the care of the poultry;
and, in considerable viUas far from any town, they had a chief
of the workmen, ergastularius, with smiths and carpenters
under him.
The steward was lodged in apartments^ over the gateway
of the villa rustica, on one side of which lived the villiciis, and
the villica near the fructuaria, or store-rooms. The inferior
slaves in one great room, and the sick in an apartment
called the valetudinarium. The lodgings of the frecdnicn
had a southern aspect.
Horses and mules were kept for the use of the master,
and asses and oxen for that of the farm.
Particular care was taken of the geese, hens, pigeons, pea-
cocks, and other birds, which had all separate dwellings
assigned to them; and not only deer, hares, and every
species of game were attended to, but there can scarcely be
named an animal which was not kept by the more opulent
Romans at their country residences. Varro even describes
the glirarium, or habitation for the dormice. To his works,
and to those of Columella and Vitruvius, we refer the
reader for more minute particulars.
The ancient Romans were peculiarly domestic; unlike
the Greeks, who secluded their wives and children from
society by confining them within the limits of the gyncccium,
41
where little of their own time was passed, and none even
of their most intimate friends admitted, the inhabitants
of Latium shared their house, their conversation, their cares,
and their amusements, with their families. To them, at /
their return from the forum, they related the events of the /
city, and the news from the armies; and, with them, they re-/
ceived their friends and relations in the evening at their/
hospitable board, or partook of the entertainment reciprocally
offered to them. Accompanied by their wife and children
they joined in the public festivities; and public service alone
divided them from the ties, which nature and affection had
combined to form. ^
Where such a conduct is adopted, the love of rural scenes!
becomes naturally stronger. Families, in the country, are f
more united, and friends received with greater cordialit}^, i
than in populous cities, where individuals are supposed to /
be more independent of each other, and where ambition f
and interest engross more of their attention.
The frugality of the first Romans, which never interfered \-
with the duties of hospitality, made it necessary (while they
wished to preserve the one without injury to the other)
that they should avoid the more expensive luxuries of the
capital, look into their own concerns, and live on the produce
of their little farms.
The stories related of Curias and Cincinnatus are charac-*
teristic of the manners of those times, and we find even
Horace, the favourite companion of the first and greatest
men of an age in which luxur}^ had made a considerable *
progress, describe his way of life in the country, so as to
prove that comfort, not ostentation, and a real attachment :
G
42
to the beauties of nature, were his inducements for passing
so much of his time there^
During the last century of the repubhc, the principal
orators, statesmen, and generals, availed themselves of every
leisure moment to fly to one of their numerous rural re-
sidences, and forget, if possible, the tumult of public affairs
in literary occupations and the society of their friends.
There, also, the ambitious formed plans of future greatness,
the disappointed concealed their feelings from the contemp-
tuous sneers of their successful rivals, and the timid avoided
being exposed to the solicitations of contending parties.
There, also, they could enjoy with fewer interruptions the
society of their families; a circumstance which, at all times,
appears to have formed much of their happiness. We always
find Cicero with Terentia and Tullia; and, even at the critical
instant when Brutus and Cassius were debating at one of
their country houses, what should be their conduct after they
were obliged to leave Rome on the death of Caesar, Servilia
and their wives were present at the conference.
Augustus^ though less skilful in the management of his
family than of his empire, was certainly a domestic character;
and we know that he passed a great portion of his time at
the different villas belonging to him, particularly at those
near the sea. His successor had no pleasure but in retire-
ment; and all the emperors preferred their country-seats to
the Palatine. Whether virtue or vice were the ruler of their
actions, they took refuge in these residences from the cares
of state and the malignity of faction.
In this respect the principal inhabitants of Rome imitated
their sovereigns, and few remained during the summer
c
43
months in the metropolis.; Tusculum, Tibiir, and other
^elevated situations were, in that season, their favourite
places of resort; and, in winter, they frequently visited
Antium, and other towns on the sea-coast. They had estates
in so many different climates and situations, that they could
always choose the spot best adapted to the season, and more
or less distant from the capital, according to the state of
public affairs.
When the seat of empire was transferred to Constantinople,
Latium became almost a desert, and its few wretched inha-
bitants were by turns the victims of neglect and of oppres-
sion. Theodoric, one of the greatest men who ever shone
amidst the ages of darkness, and who displayed talents and
qualities worthy of the most enlightened periods, revived the
drooping spirits of the Romans, promoted agriculture, and,
in a great measure, restored the territory allotted for their
support, to the flourishing state in which it was before it
was abandoned by its unfeeling mastei*s. The Goths who
followed his fortunes lived on the best terms imaginable
with the natives, availed themselves of their superior know-
ledge, and assisted them in the cultivation of their fields and
in the re-establishment of their edifices. When we read the
letters of Cassiodorus, the learned and virtuous minister of
this great prince, a Roman, and warmly attached to his
country, we see the Campagna assume its former aspect, and
share the gratitude of its inhabitants towards their generous
benefactor.
The plain of which we are about to give a description was,
in the early ages of Rome, inhabited by a variety of warlike
nations, who kept the valour of her citizens in constant
g2
44
jexercise, and, at length, were united to lier as members of
that powerful body, which successively subdued Europe,
f^iAsia, and Africa. Their capitals became colonial ormunici-
1 pal towns, the first of which enjoyed the privileges of Roman
\ citizens, and the second every advantage annexed to that
I title, except the right of giving a vote at the elections in
I Rome, and that of suing for magistracies and offices in that
metropolis.
Rome was, however, the object of ambition which at-
tracted them all; while the leading characters of that city
sought ease and retirement, in the delightful situations
•which anciently harboured the formidable antagonists of
, their ancestors.
After Rome and its environs became the property of the
church, these towns, which are chiefly seated on eminences,
served as fortresses where the haughty barons resisted the
power of the pontifes, and the reciprocal rivalry of their
neighbours. Hence issued the Sforzas, the Sciarras, and
other condottieri, who, attaching themselves to different par-
ties, became the agents of contending sovereigns, and led a
predatory life, equally injurious to the welfare of their coun-
try, and to the honour of their families. Yet, in the midst
of these irregularities, more to be attributed to the manners
and politics of the times than to any peculiar ferocity of
character, the Roman nobles never sunk, like their cotempo-
raries in other parts of Europe, into total barbarism and
ignorance. Some notion of education was preserved in the
convents and monasteries. Learning was necessary to gain
preferment at an ecclesiastical court, and the remains of
ancient taste and magnificence, which neither the lapse of
45
ages, nor the ravages of barbarous invaders, had destroyed,
inspired the natives of this country with ideas more sublime,
and notions more correct, than can be expected from those
who have not been early accustomed to similar advantages. .
The Muses were not totally excluded from the formidable
castles of the Roman barons, even in the most unenlightened
centuries; and when arts and sciences revived with added
lustre, under the auspices of the learned Greeks, who sought
a refuge in Italy after Constantinople fell into the hands of
the Turks, the court of Rome became their chief asylum,
and the focus whence their rays were emitted. _ ;
Music, painting, and poetry, now contributed to adorn
and enliven the residences of the nobles: theatres were erected
in many of their palaces, rural sports were instituted to ,
celebrate some festival, and to amuse their vassals; com- ■
modious houses were built for their dependants; and after |
the battle of Lepanto, when Marcantonio Colonna, by de-
feating the Turkish fleet, restored tranquillity to the Mediter-
ranean, the Campagna, no longer exposed to invasion, saw
her towns repeopled and her fields resume the cheerful )\
appearance of cultivation.
These towns are at present, in general, well inhabited, and
they are also the retreat of the Roman nobility and citizens
during their autumnal absence from the capital. Some of
the Romans go into the country to pass the month of May,
but that of October is the time in which they usually leave
town; the air being then purified by the rains of September.
Most of the nobility, and indeed all who are in easy cir^
cumstances, either possess or hire houses for this month, at one
or other of the little towns within ten or twenty miles of the
/
. . 46-
capital. This is called "going into vitleggiatura ; and it forms
one of the principal pleasures of their existence. They
esteem it not only necessary for their health, but essential to
their making a respectable appearance in society; and indi- /
viduals who have not the advantage of possessing a casino,
hire lodgings in convents or private houses, for as much of
the month of October as their finances will allow,
w Ecclesiastics, lawyers, physicians, and others who dress
as abati, in black, with short mantles over their shoulders,
for the rest of the year, w^ear coloured coats during this
month; and even cardinals change their usual habits for a
purple frock. Towards the end of September every Roman
appears with a countenance enlivened by the expectation
of an agreeable villeggiatura, except the few whom business
or want of money detains in the metropolis; and these
endeavour to console themselves, by wearing the habit of
villeggianti, and walking in the beautiful villas and vineyards
which surround the city.
None, however, anticipate with so much ardour, or enjoy
with so much avidity, the pleasures of the month of October
as the scholars, and we may add the masters, of the different
colleges and seminaries in which Rome abounds. Each of
these houses has a casino at or near one of the castelli, as the
little towns are usually denominated. On the happy day
appointed for the change of habitation, a long train of
coaches conveys the 3'outhful villeggianti to the scene of
delight, where, under the e3^e of their preceptors, they join
in all the amusements which the country atfords. Their
studies are not, however, totally neglected, for, besides the
lessons they receive on mineralogy and botany during their
47
excursions, it is remarked, that some of their best exercises
are composed spontaneously at these seasons of recreation.
The time of villeggiaiura is indeed short, but that very
reason contributes to render it more dehghtful. The morn-
ings are usually employed in walks or friendly visits; in the
evening, those who have carnages take an airing, and after-
wards, all assemble at one or other of the houses, where
conversation and music for the young, and cards for the
elder, engage their attention. On these occasions the nobility
sometimes mix with those of an inferior class, particularly
where balls or concerts are given. Races, and other amuse-
ments appropriate to the country, form also a part of their
pleasures.
The Italians are not fond of solitude; but in these situa-
tions they can at once gratify their taste for the beauties of
nature and their love of society. The liveliness of imagina-
tion and elegant ease of expression which are natural to
them, lead us to think them peculiarly formed for convei'sa-
tion; and, although we have mentioned cards and music as
attractions, they, in general, require no other inducement for
meeting and associating with each other, than the pleasure
of conversing. When Cicero says that the principal distinc-
tion between the human race and the brute creation, is the
privilege enjoyed by the former of conversing together; it is
impossible not to think of the Italians, and hold in high
estimation a people which possesses in a superior degree this
distinguished advantage.
Dinners are also given by the nobility and opulent
citizens, not only by invitation, but to any of their friends
who come from Rome, or from the neighbouring castellly
48
-without previous advice, to pass the day with them.
Few families of distinction go into the country without
inviting two or three single men to spend the month of
October at their casino; and as these are often literary men,
(indeed few of those admitted into good society have not
some pretension to this character,) the villeggiatiira usually is
productive of poetical compositions, many of which could be
cited as specimens of the taste and imagination which dis-
tinguish the Romans, and we may say the Italians in general;
for it is to be remarked, that Rome being the centre of
church preferment for the different states of Italy, society
is there composed of men of genius and abilities from every
part of the peninsula, and formerly from every country in
Europe.
A society composed of persons such as we have endea-
voured to describe, assembled round a learned and respect-
able prelate, or an amiable woman of graceful manners and
brilliant imagination, such as are frequently to be found in
this country, will be allowed to give no very imperfect idea
of the most rational mode of relaxation, and will recal to
the mind of every classical reader what he has been told
by Plato and Cicero of the conversations at Athens and
Tnsculum.
From these societies, over which preside cheerfulness and
decorum, all unmeaning ceremony, affectation, and pedantry,
are excluded; the Romans are here perfectly at their case,
land appear to the greatest advantage. Few travellers are
at this season in the vicinity of Rome, still fewer are suffi-
ciently acquainted with the language to join in social
intercourse with the natives: those who have had that
49
advantage will acknowledge that there is no flattery in the
portrait; and others will not be sorry to learn, that the in-
habitants of this once celebrated region, though deprived of
political influence, and commercial wealth, have yet enjoy-
ments, which being less envied are perhaps more secure.
a
50
LAKE OF ALBANO
AND ITS ENVIRONS i
INCLUDING
CASTEL GANDOLFO, ALBANO, AND PALAZZOLO.
ALBAN LAKE, NOW LAGO DI CASTELLO, AND ITS ENVIRONS.
1 HE lake of Albano, or Gastel Gandolfo, seven miles in
circumference, was evidently the crater of a volcano; and;
the principal objects which appear on its banks, are the
village of Castel Gandolfo, Villa Barberini, the convent of
reformed Franciscans called Zoccolanti, the Capuchins con^
vent of Albano, and the palace and convent of Palazzuolo.
This lake is fourteen miles distant from Rome, and the
road to it is part of that which leads to Naples. Travellers
usually leave the city at Porta San Giovanni after having
passed before the church which bears that name, and is one
of the most magnificent and most ancient of Rome; but the
Via Appia goes through Porto San Sebastiano, where is the
beautiful triumphal arch erected in honour of the first
Drusus, and, to the left, the tombs of the Scipios, Servilii,
and Metelli. Passing through this gate are also to be seen the
circus and therms of Caracalla.
51
The modern and ancient roads meet at no great distance
from the city; the views are fine, and there are numberless
monuments and other remains of antiquity, which are
picturesque in the highest degree.
About four miles from Porto San Giovanni, to the left,
is the small ruined temple of " Fortuna Muliebris," or " Fe*
male Fortune," erected in honour of Veturia, the mother of
Coriolanus, and of the Roman ladies who accompanied her to
this spot, where the Volscian army was encamped, and where
jhe_persuaded her son to desist from his pernicious designs
against his native country. This temple was a square build-
ing with simple pilasters composed of brick, enough of
which remains to give"^ an idea of the general effect.
The fossa Cluilia and Martian aqueduct are near this
place, and it was here that the Alban dictator was punished
for his perfidy, by TuUus Hostilius eight^^-eight years after
the building of Rome.
Farther on are seen, to the right, some ruins of edifices of
the lower ages, and the plain below them is traditionally
reported to be the spot where the Horatii and Curiatii
fought, to decide the pre-eminence of Rome and Alba; and
where, as Livy relates, the three latter and two of the former
were interred.
Beyond the seventh mile-stone is the post-house for chang-
ing horses, with a tower named Torre di Mezza via, which is
the first stage from the capital on the southern road. Tiie
noble vestiges of the Claudian aqueduct here cross the way,
and many valuable antiques have been found in this neigh*
bourhood, particularly the Vatican Adonis.
This long line of lofty arches, with the prospect of the
11 2
52
Alban and Tusculan hills, has a sublime effect, and towards
sun-set it is peculiarly well lighted. At night, in the season
of the year when the stubble is burned, the flames and
smoke rising behind these magnificent ruins give no imper-
fect idea of the destruction of Troy, or any other extensive
conflagration.
In the plain before the gradual ascent of the Alban
mountain is a farm, entitled / due Santi, belonging to Prince
Doria, which forms a pleasing feature in the landscape, on
account of the pines and evergreen oaks which surround it.
Near this spot is a little inn, to the right, entitled " Le
Fratocchie,'' formerly Bovillae; the place where the murder
of Clodius by Milo gave occasion fo one of the finest
orations of Cicero.
Many portions of the Via Appla are still in tolerable pre-
servation; but the remark of Horace, that it is better to go
slowly over it, is still more applicable to its present state
than it could have been to that in which he saw it. The
modern road is excellent in every respect. It turns off to
the left for Castel Gandolfo, passing by some ancient tombs,
and a picturesc^ue hermitage shaded by a lofty pine.
LA CICCHIGNOLA. .
This is a little farm belonging to the order of Malta, at the
distance of five miles and a half from Porta Sa?i Sehastiano.
The road is picturesque, and passes by a place called the
annunziatina with a house of Prince Borghese.
La Cicchignola has the appearance of a fortress, being
surrounded with battlements. Behind it is a lake with
53
bridges, leading to a small island, round which is a balus-
trade. A wood of fine old trees gives an aweful shade to the
lake, and affords pleasing walks.
This place is now possessed by Cardinal Braschi, (nephew
of the late pope) as grand prior of Malta. His uncle used often
to come hither in October to amuse himself with catching
birds by the means of nets, called a Paratajo, a diversion
much in use among the Romans at this season of the year.
The nets were spread on an eminence near the house, where
is a stone table with seats round it in the midst of a group of
trees, commanding a fine prospect of Monte Mario, and
other hills near Rome. Pius the Vlth here gave a dinner to
his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex.
CASTEL GANDOLFO.
Tins village, ^vhich takes its name from the autumnal resi-
dence of the popes, is situated on a considerable edifice, and
commands a noble view of the lake on one side, and of the
" Caropagna" on the other.
The church is not large, but had for its architect Cavalier
Bernini, who adorned it with a cupola, which produces an
excellent eftect whenever Castel Gandolfo is seen at a dis-
tance : it has indeed altogether a very picturesque appearance,
as the pope's palace, with the lofty pines near it, groups well
with the adjoining scenery. Over the high altar is an oval
picture, the work of Pietro da Cortona ; and there is also in
this church an altar-piece by Carlo Maratti.
The pope's palace, which in effect is a castle, was chiefly
ornamented by Alexander, the seventh of the Chigi family ;
54
who also made a good road from this place to Palazzuolo.
It is a building of considerable size, and has in it noble
apartments, furnished with that dignified simplicity which
characterizes the residence of an ecclesiastical sovereio-n.
Amongst the paintings are four moon-lights, two flower
pieces, dead game and poultry, of great merit ; a fine portrait
of a pope, by Spagnoletto, the portrait of Bernini, a good
head, painted by himself, some cartoons, the sketch of a
holy family, and several dishes of old delft, painted from
designs of Raphael.
In a long gallery ornamented with landscapes in fresco,
Ghezzi has introduced figures of hermits and peasants re-
sembling different prelates of the court of Benedict the XI Vth
(Lambertini) : this pope, who was a man of wit and learning
as well as a good sovereign, delighted in caricatures, and
having heard that Ghezzi had drawn in that manner the
principal personages at Rome, desired to see him and his
sketch book. The painter obeyed very unwillingly, as,
amongst the rest, he had not spared his holiness. The pope
however, was not less amused with his own portrait than with
those of his subjects, and kept the book, paying Ghezzi very
liberally for it, and frequently afterwards employing him.
Lambertini, in possession of the book, would often shew
the cardinals and prelates their resemblances ; and if he per-
ceived they were offended, he turned over the leaves, and
exhibitins: his own caricature, comforted them with the as-
surance that they were not worse treated than himself. It
was to please him, that Ghezzi painted these figures in the
gallery : they are not exaggerated to such a degree as to
become disgusting, and are rather humorous representations
4
53
of the different pursuits in which he supposes the prelates to
be engaged, than distorted likenesses of their persons and fea-
tures. Coarseness and vulgarity scarcely ever disgrace the
works of an Italian artist.
There is a small room fitted up by Clement the XlVth
(Ganganclli), with a table in the middle for playing " Boc-
cetti.'' This game, which is a species of billiards, the balls
being only thrown by the hand, is much in use throughout
this country. The fresco paintings on the walls represent
different scenes in which Ganganelli is introduced Avalking,
conversing, and on horseback.
- He always passed the month of October in this palace,
a'nd it was here that he consented to the abolition of the
order of Jesuits. Pius Vlth never passed a villeggiatura"
here, but used to avail himself of the liberty peculiar to that
season in going through the streets of Rome on foot, and
visiting artists of merit ; in viewing whatever w^as interesting
in the neighbourhood, and in planning improvements for the
Vatican Museum.
The gardens of the papal palace at Castel Gandolfo are
Bot ver^ extensive^ but they afford a fine view of the lake-
and adjoining country. An espalier of roses round the
greatest part of the castle has a pleasing effect.
" Villa Cibo" ivas once the residence of a cardinal of the
house of Modena, whose name it still wears ; but is now the
property of the Apostolic chamber. It has gardens filled
with statues, and hedges of cypress.
" Villa Albani" is an elegant modern building, one of the
many proofs of taste and genius, left bj Cardinal Alexander
Albani, great nephew of Clement the Xltb, It is ornamented
\
56
with paintings in fresco after the antique, and has in it some
good water-coloured pieces. His Royal Highness the Duke of
Gloucester, with his Duchess, passed some months here. The
situation of the house is delightful, and it commands a view
of Rome, the sea, and the " Campagna/'
** Vigna Marzelli,'' is a large house and vineyard, which
formerly belonged to the Jesuits. It contains several good
apartments, which are neatly fitted up, and are let to different
persons who wish to pass their " Villeggiatura " here.
The suite of rooms, which formed once the autumnal
residence of the general of the order, was afterwards for many
years inhabited by Mr. Jenkins, whose acquisitions trans-
mitted to England such numerous specimens of the classical
ornaments of Italy.
In this house is a good chapel, and there Is a. hall-room for
the " Villeggianti."
In the vineyard are interesting ruins of an aqueduct, and
an ancient tomb, supposed to be that of TuUia, daughter of
Cicero. The views from this place, situated on the declivity
of the hill, are peculiarly beautiful, and a walk of nut-trees
leads from the vineyard to the Albano road, called the lower
gallery, under one continued shade, an advantage deservedly
much esteemed in this country : so much indeed, that a map
has been formed to exhibit the shaded topography of Rome
at the different hours of the day, and is become an useful
guide to those whom business or curiosity leads to a distant
part of that immense metropolis.
Below the village of Castel Gandolfo, in which there are
several pretty houses, is a winding path, which descending
to the borders of the lake, conducts to a grotto with several
' ' '' J 5 ' >'
niches, much resembling one described by Virgil *, and pro-
bably like that, a temple of the nymphs : it is, however,
usually denominated the temple of Venus.
At a little distance from it is the " Emissario," a building
erected three hundred and ninety-seven years before the
commencement of the Christian aera, and still in perfect
preservation. \^i^
This truly interesting monument of antiquity was con- ,
structed, as is well known, during the celebrated siege of I
Veii, for the emission of the superfluous waters of this lake |
which had risen to an astonishing height, when the country
was afflicted with an uncommon want of rain, which occa-
sioned a failure of almost all the lesser streams. The oracle
of Delphos and those of Etruria having also declared that
Veii could not be taken till the waters of the lake were
carried off into the fields, and then confined into rivulets ;
the work was soon terminated, and Veii was taken.
This " Emissario" presents an arch of considerable height,
seven feet in diameter, composed of large square stones. It
forms the entrance of a channel which conveys the water
mider the hill on which Castel Gandolfo stands, about three
hundred feet above the level of the lake. ' -r
This channel is a mile and a half in length, and termi-
nates in the fields near Albano, where is a mill for gi'inding
corn, and the water afterwards runs into the Tiber, at a place
called " Aque Salvie.'' There are sometimes five feet of
water, and at others only two : by placing a lighted taper on
a board, and letting it swim through the arch, the eye can
♦ Enekl, book i. ^^^^,{ r oJ faU /Jwr
I
56
follow the stream to a very considerable distance, and the
board floats along the channel till it makes its appearance at
the mill.
At the mouth of the " Emissario" nets are spread to in^
tercept the eels of the lake, which are thus caught with the
greatest ease, and are excellent : the " Latterini,'* a very small
fish, resembling white-bait, are taken by the fishermen who
go out in small boats for that purpose, and they are much
esteemed, but will not bear carriage. Few venture on the
lake merely for amusement, as the sudden gusts of wind
render it sometimes dangerous. Water parties are not in-
deed favourite amusements of the Romans, and scarcely ever
a pleasure-boat is seen on the Tiber. This however, is to be
solely understood with respect to fresh water, for they are by
no means averse to going on the sea, when at any of their
villas on the coast of the Mediterranean.
The road from Castel Gandolfo to Albano on the border
of the lake, is called the " Upper Gallery,'' and is shaded by
a double row of lofty trees, little more than a mile in lengthy
and finishing at the convent of Capucins.
At a few steps from the village are iron gates before a
large house, belonging to the Barberini family, with grounds
which take up the whole side of the hiU between this place
and Albano.
Villa Barberini is one of the most interesting^ places i»
this country. The house is large and commodious : it com-
mands on one side a complete view of the lake, and on the
other, the plain on which Rome is situated, bounded by the
sea, on which appear some of the Pontine islands, particu-
larly that to which Julia was banished*
59
I- The grounds are full of vestiges of antiquity. It is most
probable, that in the later times of the republic they were
part of the possessions of Clodius, and of Pompey. They
afterwards undoubtedly belonged to the emperor Domitian,
who had here a magnificent villa, where he passed much of
his time, and held assemblies of men of letters. The Amphi-
theatre where he used to behold the destruction of a hundred
wild beasts in a day, joined his gardens ; and the ruins of it,
still remaining in the vineyard of the Monks of Saint Paul
at Albano, prove how extensive these must have been.
The upper part of the Barberini-gardens consists of three
long walks, between which are square hedges, and at one
end a flower-garden. The walk to the right is continued
along a terrace, raised over an immense gallery, which doubt-
less is part of that of Domitian, described by ancient authors,
where his literary courtiers used to dispute on poetical and
historical subjects. It retains some of its ornaments, which
are in the stile of those of the temple of peace at Rome,
built in the time of his father Vespasian. In some places are
fragments of stucco and gilding ; and it is easy to trace by
the vestiges of a wall, which take the same direction as
the part of the gallery which remains entire, that its extent
must have been not less than from Castel Gandolfo to Albano,
which is tlie distance of a mile. It is needless to remark the
picturesque appearance of this gallery, when we say^, that
the terrace above it is shaded by noble ever-green oaks, in
which this country abounds ; and a more delightful winter
walk cannot be enjoyed. Open to the tepid westerly breezes,
and to the setting sun, it commands a prospect only bounded
by the horizon, and containing so great a variety of objects
I 2
60
and situations recorded in history, that the eye and the mind
^re equally gratified. The softness of the climate, and the
surrounding verdure change December into May ; and the
j atmosphere is then so clear, that persons not remarkable for
/ distant sight, have witnessed engagements on the Mediterra-
nean, and with the assistance of a glass have seen the French
flag strike to the English.
Further on, the walk passes by ruined arches and other
remains of antiquity, overgrown with shrubs and shaded by
trees, till it finishes in an olive-ground and a vineyard, which
belonged formerly to the Jesuits, and at the suppression of
their order, was purchased b}^ the Barberini family.
• Below is a large plantation of lofty pines, which afford a
pleasing diversity, and the vineyard finishes at the town of
Albano. ' :'
^ The middle walk is composed of cut trees, and the upper
one nearest the lake leads along an ancient wall with several
semicircular spaces, in which are niches of various forms.
Fragments of cornices, columns, and other ornaments of gra*
nite, antique marbles *, and porphyry, are scattered on the
ground in these apartments, which appear to have been part
of the principal front of Domitian's palace. Small square
pieces of glass, or rather of antique paste, of different colours
are found continually in these gardens, and are remains of
the numberless mosaic pavements which must have been in
this villa.
' Ever-green oaks, Avhich have their roots in the interstices
* Two beautiful specimens of these, which were brought home by the late Duke
of St. Alban's, are now placed to great advantage in the elegant villa of Mr. Wyatt,
near Hounslow.
61
of the stones, hang Over the walk arid fbrm a continued
shade. At the extremity is an antique statue of a river-god,
placed before two semicircular arches, overgrown with shrubs,
and skreened by large trees.
In another part of the grounds are halls and chambers,
said to have been the habitations of the Emperor's Pnietorian
guards : the access to most of these remains of antiquity,
during summer, is rather dangerous on account of snakes,
adders, and scorpions, which frequently conceal themselves
in the long grass, and amidst the ruins of ancient edifices ;
but the bite of the adder alone is feared by the natives, and
this little venomous animal is sometimes, though rarely, seen
in these grounds.
Towards the end of the upper wall is a gate which opens
on the road near the lake, where is a convent of friars, called
" Zoccolanti :'' they are reformed Franciscans, and have a
terrace of a semicircular form, which overlooks the water,
surrounded with little chapels : in the midst is a large tree
with a seat round it, and the situation is very pleasing.
In the church, which is dedicated to the Madonna, and
has on the frontispiece an inscription to her honour, are two
pictures of merit : one of them is a holy famil3^ Beyond is )l
a chapel inclosing the bones of the community.
Below Villa Barberini is another road which leads to
Albano. It is shaded by fine old trees, which afford many
picturesque scenes, and there is a small chapel about half
way, which, embosomed in the wood, has the happiest efi^ect
imaginable. This road, called the Lower Gallery, is the
favourite walk of all the company in villeggiaiiira at Albano,
ence he made excursions to view the different parts of
the country, which attracted the curiosity of his wife, Julia,
daughter of Caesar. It was here that he intended to perform
her obsequies, had not the Roman people, attached to her
and to her fatlier, prevented it by giving her a public funeral
in the Campus Mai tius.
Though we are also informed that the urn, containing the
ashes of Pompey, was brought into Italy by his last wife,
Cornelia, and deposited in a vault of his Alban villa, we
cannot decide the particular spot which received it. Before
the northern entrance of the town is a ruined monument of
considerable height, which is traditionally called the tomb
of Pompey. This building consists of three stories, and was
anciently encrusted with marble : many fragments of this
encrustation yet remain; and at the summit is a little tree
growing out of the ruin in a manner truly picturesque and
pleasing. It stands in a vineyard belonging to the bishop
ctf the diocese, and by some it is also called the tomb of
Ascanius. ;
Nearly opposite is a small garden^ with a casino, the pro-
perty of a prelate named Mattei : it contains a few antitpie
statues, the best of which are a lion and two greyhounds.
Villa Altieri, adjoining to it, belongs to the prince of that
name. The house is good, and the orangerie and pleasure-^
grounds are delightful: they afford interesting pros|>ects ;,
K 2
r
6S
Castel Gandolfo with VHIa Barberini are seen here to great
advantage.
Over the gate of Albano are the arms of the town, which
perpetuate the memory of the animals seen by JEneas, as an
indication of a resting-place for himself and his companions.
To the left is the church of St. Rocco, where the magistrates
sit when there are races, and give the prize to the master of
the horse who is the winner ; for, like those at Rome in car-
nival time, the horses run without riders. These amuse-
ments take place at Albano in the time of the villiggiatura
of October ; and the company resident there are invited to
s6e them from the windows and balconies of " Palazzo
Doria."
This is a large modern building to the right of the gate of
entrance, and annexed to it are a garden and a beautiful
wood. It is one of the numerous residences of Prince Doria,
who usually passes some time here every year. Some of the
rooms are painted in fresco, and the rest hung with linen.
In the chapel is an altar-piece of merit, representing Job.
The views from the windows of the garden front are very
extensive. The wood is uncommonly picturesque, and was^
imdoubtedly a part of the gardens of Pompey. Many an-
cient caves and arches are still to be seen, but some of them-
have paintings in which crosses are to be distinguished, a
proof that, however they might have been built in the time
of the republic, they were afterwards inhabited in the lower
ages, or served as chapels where the Christians assembled to
pray, during the times of persecution. Many situations in
this wood afford excellent studies for a painter ; and it is at
all times a pleasing walk, being kept in the best order, and
69
not crowded with unmeaning ornaments. A few rustic
benches are properly placed, and the eye is sufficiently gra-
tified by the variety and magnificence of the surrounding
objects.
Cardinal Stuart, usually styled Cardinal of York, has a
palace in Albano, which was given him by the Pope. He
never resides there, but successively lent it to the Spanish
ambassador and to the Princesses Adelaide and Victoire,
aunts of the unfortunate Lewis XVI. These respectable
and venerable exiles, who took refuge at Rome in the year
179 1> left that city in 1796"> on the expected arrival of a
minister from the French republic, and, in 1797, removed
from Albano to Naples, from the well-founded apprehension
of the approach of the French army. In the winter of the
ensuing year, they were once more driven from their asylum
(at Caserta) by impending invasion, and both died at Trieste
in the course of the year 1799.
This palace, which has in it several good apartments, is
furnished in the plainest manner ; and in one of the prin-
cipal rooms are maps of London, Rome, and Paris, as also
one of Great Britain, on which is traced the flight of the
late Pretender.
Prince Stanislaus Poniatowsky, nephew of the late king
of Poland, purchased a villa on the southern side of the
town, and added several rooms to it before the progress of
the French army induced him to leave ]taly.
Prince Corsini has a large house of modern architecture
at a short distance from the southern gate, on the road to
Laricia. There is a suite of apartments, with a fine pros-
pect of the sea on one side, and the Capucins on the other.
"TO
Some of the rooms arb hung with fine linens, and othfers
painted in frcseo : in one of the last are represented the
numerous palaces and villas belonging to the Corsini family
at Home and Florence, or in the vicinity of these cities.
One of the drawing rooms is of a very considerable size, witlt
windows at both extremities ; it is singularly elegant, and
affords a noble view of the adjacent country.
Near this house is the church of " La Madonna della
Stella," and a^i ancient monument which is usually denomi-
nated the tomb of the Horatii and the Curiatii, as five of
these warnors fell in the combat, and there are five pyramids
on a square base. The last prince of the house of Savelli
was the author of an inscription which is to be seen on this
monument, and gives it the above-mentioned title; but tra-
dition reports that he was the fabricator of many false in-
scriptions, and antiquaries form different conjectures on the
subject of this ruin. Some suppose this to have been the
tomb of Pompey, and say that the five pyramids denote his
five principal victories or triumphs. If we may believe Livy,
it is not likely to be the tomb of the Horatii and Curiatii,
as he tells us they were buried where they fell, on the plain
between Rome and Alba. All painters sketch this ruin,
which has a very picturesque appearance, and stands on
, the border of the Appian way.
^ • A little farther on the road to Laricia is a hermitage, built
I amidst the vestiges of ancient fabrics, and particularly at-
tractive to the eye of an artist. It cannot be said to stand
I in a very retired situation ; and it used to be inhabited by
two hermits, one of whom made too free with the wine-cellar,
and the other with the larder, which occasioned frequent dis-
n
putes between them, till tlicy were reconciled by a judicious
vicar, who ordered the first to keep the key of the larder,
and the second that of the cellar ; after which arrangement
t^ey behaved to the satisfaction of each other, and edifica-
tion of the neighbourhood.
The remains of antiquity near Albano in all directions are
very numerous. In a vineyard about a mile distant from
the northern gate are vestiges of walls, which appear to
have been built m the time of the republic, or during the
reiiin of the first Caesars. Six rooms with beautiful Mosdie ^
pavements were discovered there some years ago.
The soil of Albano is peculiarly fertile ; and the wine it
produces is thought to be good, though not so much es-»
teemed as it was in the days of Horace. The Albanese are
a handsome race, more especially the women, whose dress
is. singular, and, though not strictly conformable to the rules
of Grecian elegance, it is rertainly well adapted to give
them a healthy and picturesque appearance. The white
handkerchief, folded in a straight line over their forehead,
is no inconsiderable contrast to the animated brown of their
complexions. Their countenances are expressive, and their
manners far from disagreeable. It is remarkable that, al-
though at so inconsiderable a distance from the capital,
many of the opulent Albanese continue to wc^r the habit
peculiar to their country ; and when they are seen in the
streets of Rome, it is common to hear the people say,
" There passes a stranger." The Romans often adopt this
dress at masquerades.
^2
MONTE SAVELLI.
About two miles from Albano, in a right line looking
towards the sea, is " Monte Savelli," so called from a fort-
ress now in ruins, which belonged to the ancient family of
that name, now extinct. This place is supposed to have
been, at a very early period, the town of " Camerina/'
founded by the Aborigines and Umbrians, as Dionysius of
Halicarnassus asserts, and taken by Romulus. The air is
very unwholesome, as it forms a trifling eminence, totally
insulated in the " Campagna." A hermit is at present its
only inhabitant,
PALAZZOLO.
This place, and perhaps the whole border of the lake
from hence to the Capucins of Albano, is believed to be
the site of the ancient " Alba Longa," founded by Ascanius,
the son of jEneas, after he left Lavinium, and where he is
supposed to have reigned eight years.
The story of Amulius and Numitor, whose daughter, Rhea
Silvia, became a priestess of Vesta ; of her confinement ; of
the birth of Romulus and Remus, whose father was believed
to be Mars ; the order given by Amulius for throwing them
into the Tiber ; their preservation, and their subsequent ac-
tions, are too well known to be here recited.
We are told that when Romulus had discovered his birth,
freed his brother, delivered Rhea Silvia from captivity, and
re-established his grandfather, Numitor, on the the throne
73
of Alba, he founded the city of Rome, and by the wisdom of \
his institutions and intrepidity of his conduct, fully deserved
the praise of giving birth to the first empire in the universe.
But we know not who were the immediate successors of
Numitor at Alba : it is plain that Romulus never interfered
with the government of that city, as it remained an indepen-
dent kingdom, became chief of the confederacy which sub-
sisted at a very early period between the different states of
this country, and was a formidable rival of Rome in her in-
fant state, till the combat of the Horatii and Curiatii ter-
minated the contest in favour of the Romans, and the Al-
banese became their subjects. ' ''
It was not however till two years after this event, in the
eighty-eighth from the foundation of Rome, that, in conse-
quence of the perfidy of Metius SufFetius, dictator of Alba,
who persuaded his countrymen to join the Veians and Fi-
denates in a revolt against their conquerors, and afterwards
remained neutral, Horatius was sent at the head of a de-
tachment to destroy the city of Alba; which order he ex-
ecuted so completely, that no edifice private or public,
except the temples, was left standing, and the inhabitants
were removed to Rome, and distributed amidst the different
classes and tribes, according to the rank they held in their
own -countrj'.
It is therefore evident that the vestiges of antiquity, dis-
cerned near the Alban lake, on its southern border, can be
only remains of the temples of Alba Longa, or perhaps of
villas, Afterwards erected in that neighbourhood. The road
from Albano to Palazzolo passes through a fine wood near
L
74
Laricia and Monte Gentile, and the views are particularly
beautiful.
Palazzolo takes its name from a large house now neglect-
ed, which belongs to the family of Colon na ; and below it is
a convent of Franciscans, in the most delightful situation
imaginable.
They have a suite of rooms, called *' La Forasteria,'' destined
for the reception of strangers, and these are often inhabited
by ecclesiastics, or others who wish to enjoy the beauties
of the place, or the benefit of the air, which is remarkably
pure.
These apartments were built by a Portuguese friar, son
of one of the royal family of that country, and minister of
his court at Rome. He expended considerable sums on the
convent, and cut terraces and gardens out of the rock :
beyond the gardens, which are kept in good order, is a rus-
tic fountain, celebrated for the coolness of its water ; and at
no great distance is an ancient building, traditionally re-
ported to be the tomb of Tullus Hostilius, under whose com-
mand the Romans fought so long against the Albans, and
during whose reign the latter Avere added to the number of
his subjects.
Above this place rises gradually the majestic Alban moun-
tain, which dignifies the prospect, and is equally interesting
to the antiquary and mineralogist. A road from Palazzolo
leads to its summit ; aad there is another from Grotta Ferrata,
of which we shall have occasion to speak when we describe
the mountain itself.
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75
LARICIA AND GALORO.
ARICIA, NOW LARICIA.
IHE road from Albaiio to Laricia, following the direction of
the Appian way, is peculiarly beautiful : it divides a park
belonging to Prince Chigi, whose late father never suffered
the trees to be cut down, that artists might enjoy the advan-
tage of studying them in their natural state, and in every stage
of their vegetation and decay. The inequality of the ground,
and the frequent caves in the rocks, add much to the beauty
of the scenery ; rustic gates and fountains contribute also to
favour the landscapt;, and they occur at very trifling dis-
tances.
Laricia is only a short mile from Albano ; }■ et the prospect
continually varies, and a considerable series of views may
be taken on this road ; one of the most interesting of which
is, that where the palace of the Prince with the cupola, and
turrets of the opposite church, appear above the trees, and
produce so fine an effect, that innumerable paintings and
drawings of it are every where to be seen.
Valkricia, a corruption of " Valle di Laricia,'* is an exten-
sive vale surrounded by hills, on which stands the town of
Laricia. .It is the crater of an extinct volcano, which from a
lake became marshy ground, and produces a great quantity
76 , '
of flax, in the cuUivation of wliich the women of Albano and
the neighbourhood find employment.
The plcasantest waj to this valley is through Prince Chigi*s
park. Amongst the old trees are several green arbours,
opposite to which are posts with nets affixed to them, for the
purpose of catching the birds who come to drink at the foun-
tains ; an ancient road passes through the valley, and there
are many vestiges of tombs and other antiquities, particularly
a circular temple like those of Faunus, which is still in tole-
i*able preservation, and the whole scene is very beautiful.
After sunset when the dew begins to fall, the air of this valley
is moist and oppressive, and often occasions pains in the head
and teeth. The " Maestre pie'' of Albano have a small
house and vineyard, on one of the little eminences which bor-
der Vallericia.
What renders this place more particularly interesting, is
our attachment to the ancient poets, who have made it a
theatre of so many delightful fictions, that it is difficult to
trace how far real history is intermixed with fable, in the
events related as having taken place here.
They tell us, that Hippolitus found a refuge in this valley,
under the name of Virbius, after being restored to life by
his protectress Diana ; and that in remembrance of the fatal
accident which occasioned his death, all horses were excluded
from the place. They also inform us, that Egeria retired
hither to indulge her grief for the loss of Numa, and was at
length changed into a fountain, by the compassionate god-
dess of the woods. One of her nymphs, who became the wife
of Hippolitus, is supposed to have given her name to the
town of Aricia, built by him on the neighbouring hill, as is
asserted by some authors ; while others attribute its foun-
dation to Archilochus, a leader of the Sicanians, and suppose
it to have been first called Erminia.
Whoever was the founder of this little town, we know that
it never became a place of much importance, though Cicero
speaks with praise of its inhabitants ; but even in the time of
Augustus it must have been inconsiderable, by the mention
Horace makes of it as his first stage from Rome, and the mo-
derate accommodation,he found there.
The ancient history of Aricia is indeed confined to few
particulars. We are told, that when Porsennaleft the Jan i-
cule, after the daring actions of Horatius Codes, Scevola,
and Clelia, he sent his son Aruns to besiege Aricia ; that the
inhabitants were at first alarmed, but recovering their spirits,
and assisted by auxiliaries from Cuma, came out to fight
their enemies, who had however the advantage at the onset,
but the Cumaeans ralhed and defeated them.
The territory of the Aricians not being very extensive, they
were naturally tenacious of the little they possessed ; and the
dispute which took place between them and the Ardeates, on
the subject of a field which was claimed by both nations, and
afterwards appropriated to the Romans whom they had chosen
as umpires, appears to be one of the principal features of their
history. As this dispute happened about three hundred years
after the foundation of Rome, and no farther mention is made
of Aricia by historians, we may conclude that it experienced
fewer vicissitudes than almost any other of the neiohbourino-
states, during a long series of ages ; for it is generally believed
that it was built four hundred and fifty years before Rome,
7S
and it still occupies the same little eminence, wearing the
same appellation, with only the addition of an article.
Columella stiles Aricia the Mother of oniom ; and the an-
cients often speak of it as famous for these and cabbages,
v/liich the gardens of modern Laricia still produce in singular
perfection.
The situation of this little town is beyond description
beautiful, but the streets have nothing to recommend them ;
and though they contain many comfortable dwellings, there is
no house worthy of observ^ation, except the palace of Prince
Chigi.
Near the gate which leads to Naples, is a square with a
fountain in the middle : one side is occupied by the church,
and contiguous houses for the canons; the other by the
palace; and at the extremity, towards the Campagna and sea,
is a arapet and balustrade, whence the view of the valley is
deliffhtfuL
The church is an elegant building of a circular form : over
the principal altar is a large picture by Bourguignon, repre^
senting the assumption of the Virgin Mary, with a group of
the Apostles at the bottom. The colouring is harmonious,
and the attitudes well contrasted. The houses for the chapter
form a crescent, and the whole of this square has a good effect.
One of the canons, named Lucidi, was some years since
employed in writing an ecclesiastical history of the diocese,
and had a large collection of medals and other antiquities,
which he well understood.
Palazzo Chigi is a very considerable edifice, and was
purchased by that family, with the surrounding estate, during
1
79
thereigiiof Alexander the Vllth, towards the end of the ITtii
century. This Pope, remarkable for his disputes with Lewis
the XlVth, was the son of a banker named Chigi, who amass-
ed immense wealth, and purchased great estates both in
the Roman dominions and in Tuscany, whence he originally
came.
In the chapel is a sketch, on marble, of St. Joseph and
the infant Saviour, by Bernini, executed in black and. red as
a drawing : there is much expression in the countenances.
This artist, whose performances, as an architect and sculptor,
would have been excellent had he felt the dignified charms
of simplicity, was a great favourite with Alexander the Vllth,
who is said to have delighted in finery to such a degree, that
his morning gowns were fastened by diamond buttons.
In a small cabinet is a collection of medals, and also many
portraits in miniature of the Chigi family.
One of the lesser rooms contains an assemblage of pictures,
representing the Roman beauties of the reign of Alexander
the Vllth. It appears to have been the general fashion
throughout Europe, in those times,\to form similar collections.
The courtiers of Lewis the XI Vth, and Charles the lid, imi-
tated their masters ; and in all these galleries of portraits that
of Hortensia Mazarini is to be observed :
" She through the world (as Waller sings) had run
" Bright as her fellow-traveller the Sun."
Neither is she forgotten here among her countrywomen.
This palace has in it sufficient room to lodge three or four
princely families. It commands a fine view of the park and
neighbouring hills. The Prince has a Casino at a little dis-
tance, which also is seen from the house.
80
At the gate of the town nearest the square is a noble pros-
pect, and hence are two roads, one leading to Castel Gan-
dolfo by the lake, and the other to Gensano : at a little dis-
tance is an eminence called Rocco, surrounded by cypresses,
where are nets for catching birds, and a little church dedi-
cated to St. Roch, with a hermitage. Over the altar is a
picture representing the titular saint with his dog, St. Sebas-
tian and the Madonna ; part of this picture is well painted ;
the rest very inferior.
GALORO.
Galoro is a monastery belonging to Florentines of the
order of Vallambrosa, who always choose romantic situations,
and have here established themselves on a most delightful
spot. The church is neat, has an elegant cupola, and makes
a picturesque object for Laricia and the neighbourhood, but
the paintings in it have no particular merit. The house is
laro-e and commodious, with gardens, orchards, and vine-
yards.
The founder of this monastery is said to have been a man
of the world, amused by its pleasures, and resentful of its in-
iuries. His brother was assassinated, and he resolved to
avenge his death by destroying his murderer: after much
fruitless search he at length met him unaccompanied, but was
fo forcibly struck with his penitence and devout preparation
for his impending fate, that he changed his purpose and
foro-ave him. Soon after this meeting he entered a church,
and thought he saw the crucifix nod at him in sign of ap-
probation ; which made so powerful an impression on him,'
that he betook himself to a religious life and became a saint.
81
This story, ridiculous as it may appear to many, who have the
good fortune not to be hurried away by the gusts of passion,
is characteristic of the Italian disposition : endowed with
lively imaginations and acute feelings, the inhabitants of this
country must be impelled by something more than cool
reasoning, to desist from any purpose which has taken strong
hold of their minds ; and they who would deprive them of their
religious belief, or lessen their obedience to the church with-
in the pale of which they were born, w^ould expose them un-
armed to every danger attendant on ardent tempers, and soon
find cause themselves to repent the experiment.
NearGaloro, and also on the road to Gensano, is a rustic
fountain overhung with trees, and called la Fontana della
biigia, or " the fountain of deceit," from its being a resting
place for the people who bring wine from Gensano, and are
here supposed to replenish the casks with water.
From this place to Gensano the road continues beautiful,
and double avenues of trees, a mile in length, meet in a star
near the lake of Nemi, and lead to Palace Cesarini on its
banks, at the highest part of the town of Gensano.
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82
LAKE OF NEMI AND ITS ENVIRONS
INCLUDING THE TOWNS OP
GENSANO AND NEMI.
LAKE OF NEMI, AND ITS ENVIRONS.
On the borders of this lake, little more than four miles in cir-
cumference, are the towns of Gensano and Nemi, a convent
of Capucins attached to the former, and numerous vestiges of
ancient buildings.
CYNTHIANUM, NOW GENSANO.
The whole of this territory being consecrated to Diana,
we have reason to suppose that her temple was situated on
this spot, as Gensano is evidently a corruption of Cynthianutny
the fane of Cynthia, one of the appellations of that goddess.
The town is modern, and is a fief of the family Sforza
Cesarini, whose palace is, as we have already remarked,
situated on the borders of the lake. It is a large building,
and commands a prospect which may be justly considered
as one of the most interesting in the world. From the win-
do^vs that overlook the plain, is enjoyed the scene of the last
six books of the .^neid, and the other views are not less pleas-
ing. The Capucins have a convent on a little eminence,^
83
which is supposed to have been the hill of Virbius ; with a
castle of the same name, mentioned by ancient geographers,
as erected in commemoration of Hyppolitus, or perhaps built
by himself. The pines and cypresses planted round the con*
vent and church have a picturesque effect.
There is nothing remarkable to be seen in the town of
Gensano : travellers usually visit the house of Carlo Maratti,
where that artist lived for some time. On the walls are
figures sketched by him in charcoal, and black chalk, much
defaced by the soldiers quartered here, in the time of the
war for the succession of the kingdom of Naples, '^
The Maestre pie have a house for the education of poor
children, and have performed their office so attentively that
all the women of Gensano read, write, and work well.
They have a small stipend from Prince Cesarini, and, with the
donations of the neighbourhood, the care of silk-worms, and
a small vineyard, maintain themselves comfortably, and are
enabled to pursue their beneficial occupation.
In the principal street, which is not inconsiderable, is an-
nually performed an exercise entitled il Saraceno. This takes
place on the anniversary of their tutelar saint, and follows a
race of Barbary horses, which is previously exhibited in the
avenue before the palace. A long space of ground is enclosed
by pales, ornamented with branches of trees ; at one ex-
tremity is a figure representing a Moor in armour, with a
sprig of laurel in his hand, and a silver star on his forehead.
The magistrates place themselves on a scaffold erected for
the purpose, and adorned with crimson damask fringed with
gold. They sit as judges of the game.
Young men on horseback, attended each by a running
m2
84
footman holding their lance, enter the lists, and, after making
their obeisance to the magistrates and spectators, run full
speed at the Saracen's head ; and he whose lance strikes the
star, or comes nearest to it, gains the prize, which is a silver
knife, fork, and spoon, tied with red ribbands. This game
was introduced by the Saracens, and is practised in other
parts of Italy : it gives some idea of the warlike amuse-
ments of the Arabs, as described in the history of Granada,
and other works translated from their language ; but the
traces of their magnificence and chivalry are still more
ivisible in the Sicilian festivals.
» .tv-
85
NEMUS ARICINUM
NEML
The orove of Aricia, or, as it was often called, \\\q. grove of the
Tauridc Diana, has left its name to the little town of Nemi,
which formerly belonged to the ancient and noble family of
Fraiigipane, a race which vied with the Colonna, Orsini, and
Conti, for splendid possessions and illustrious actions. Their
name is derived from a distribution of bread to the poor,
during a famine, which distinguished them at an early
period of the Papal history. One of their descendants sold
this estate a few years since, to the Duke Braschi, nephew of
the late Pope.
The description which Strabo gives of this place exactly
answers to the situation of modern Nemi, which overlooks the
beautiful lake, not improperly stiled " the mirror of Diana,''
as the clearness of the waters, and the form of the whole, give
a just idea of the resemblance. Nothing can exceed its
picturesque beauty : the elevation and varied outHne of its
banks, and of the hills which rise above them, added to the
hanging woods, and bold volcanic masses projecting in dif-
ferent directions, give it an appearance at once sublime and
interesting.
There is a tree which tradition reports to be near two
thousand years old, but some of the inhabitants content
themselves with saying, that it was planted by Augustus; ita
86
spreading brandies bang over tbe lake, and produce a noble
effect.
All this country, including tbe valley of Aricia, was an-
ciently denominated " the kingdom of Diana," who had here
a celebrated temple, as we have before remarked when
speaking of Gensano : the chief priest was called " Rex Ne-
moreusis,'' or " King of the Groves;'' and Strabo informs us
that he was always a fugitive slave, who acquired the dig-
nity by kilHng his predecessor in single combat, and could
only preserve it by risking his life against any one of the same
order, who should be disposed to become his successor by
the same desperate means.
This singular custom, so unlike every other establishment
of the Romans, appears to be a relique of Scythian super-
stition, retained as a species of commemoration of the human
sacrifices offered to Diana in her temple at Tauris. Tra-
dition, history, and poetry combined to persuade the in-
habitants of this country, that when Iphigenia, to avoid
sacrificing the two strangers, whom she discovered to be her
brother Orestes with his friend Pylades, fled with them from
Scythia, and took with her the statue of the goddess, she
chose this place for an asylum, and here established the
worship of the Taurick Diana.
Ovid tells us, that here also was the grotto of Egeria, the
wife of Numa, and companion of the Muses. The fountain
called by her name, is still to be seen, under the appellation
of fonte Gerido, evidently corrupted from ^' fo?is Egerice,"
It rushes out of a grotto with such impetuosity, that it im-
mediately turns the mills erected near it. Here the lake of
Nemi receives water from that of Albano ; and there are
87
subterraneous channels which convey it to the meadows be-
low Laricia, and to Santa Petronilla, (anciently Lavinium,)
"where it gives rise to the little river Numicus, which three
miles farther throws itself into the sea.
The crater of Nemi is only four miles in circumference,
near the surface of the lake ; but it opens to a much wider
extent on its elevated banks, where the vestiges of ancient
buildings clearly prove how well it was formerly inhabited ;
more particularly to the south and south-west. Julius Caesar
had here a villa which he pulled down, and rebuilt at an
immense expence ; and the emperor Claudius, considering
this spot as a theatre formed by nature for a Naumachia,
had often naval combats performed on the lake, while the
banks were crowded with spectators. His successors followed
his example ; and the vessel found at the bottom of this lake
in the fifteenth century, (some remains of which are still to
.be seen under water on a clear day,) was probably belong-
ing to these Naumachias.
Pope Pius the lid, Eneas Silvius Piccolomini, gives an
account of this vessel, which we shall literally translate fronl
his Commentaries, written about the year fourteen hundred
and sixty-one, a work truly interesting, instructive, and en-
tertaining, which not only gives a just idea of the important
events of his reign, but also describes the places to which he
«nd his court retired for health and recreation^ with the sim-
plicity of manner and classical taste of a scholar enjoying
his vacation. To an English reader, the early part of these
Commentaries is peculiarly gratifying, as he relates his
journey through Great Britain with sufficient minuteness.
88
*' Many things prove that this was' one of the favourite
*' residences of the Romans, but particularly the vessel, which
" in our times was found sunk at the bottom of the lake,
" about twelve ells under water; Cardinal Prospero Co-
" louna, having sent for sailors from Genoa, who had no
" difficulty in working under water, attempted to raise it,
" and drew up a broken part, which gave an idea of the form
" and manner of building.
" The hulk was composed of larch wood, three fingers
*' thick ; the outer part daubed over with bitumen, and over
" this was added a silken stuff of a saffron or reddish colour,
" with sheets of lead, so well fixed down with brazen nails,
" the heads of which were gilded and close together, that no
" water could enter : the inner part, that no fire might con-
" sume it, was, after a layer of bitumen, covered with an in-
" crustation made of a mixture of iron and clay, such as our
" geniuses do not undersand, and that of an equal thickness
'* to the wood within; so that it was clear the vessel was safe
" from fire ; and the keel and body, divided into their differ-
ent parts, appeared compacted in the same manner : the
' length not less than 20 cubits, and the breadth in propor-
tion. They think there was a house built on the vessel,
" such as we have seen on the Po, belonging to Borsi of
" Fcrrara, or that on the Mincio x)f Lewis of Mantua, and
" such as the l^rinces Electors use on the Rhine. Those
" who dived to the bottom of the lake said they saw an iron
" or copper chest, and an earthen hydria, (vessel for holding
" water,) the cover of which was of gilt bronze. This they
" supposed to be a work of Tiberius Caesar, as they found
ce
Cfi
S9
** man V leaden pipes, on which his name was written in capi-
" tal letters */'
De Marchi also gives a long account of this vessel, which
he calls the bark of Trajan, and says it was a hundred and
forty yards in length, seventy in breadth, and sixteen in height,
supposing it to have been sunk for building. He wrote in
the year fifteen hundred and thirty-five, and speaks of
beautiful enamelled pavements found by the divers, and many
other curious circumstances.
Besides the fountain of Egeria, which turns three mills,
there is one near Gensano, and another in the garden of the
Franciscan friars at Nexni, tlie water of which is uncommon-
ly cool and salubrious ; in this garden is a terrace, and a
beautiful walk on the borders of the lake to a considerable
length. From an opening between the trees is a view ro-
mantically picturesque.
The palace of the Duke is an old castle on a rock which
projects into the lake : the apartements are large and well
proportioned, the views delightful. A great variety of trees
and shrubs adorn the banks, which rise in a thousand varied
forms : a small hermitage, with a garden below the town, a
ruined church, groups of cypresses, a solitary pine, an an-
cient bridge, all contribute to the beauty of the prospect in
forming the fore-ground. On the opposite side of the lake
appear Gensano, the Capucin convent, .the tufted summit of
Mojite gentile, the Roman plain, and a large portion of the
Mediterranean, bounded by the horizon.
The palace itself is a noble object, and the lofty tower
* Commentaries of Pius the lid, book the i ith.-
90
annexed to it adds eonsiderably to the sublimity of its ap^
pearance. This tower, which is of high antiquity, was for-
merly denominated " Turris Dianas,'' and is of a circular
form, a hundred and twenty feet in height, twenty-five in the
interior diameter, and thirty in the exterior, the thickness of
the wall being five feet : it is constructed on the solid rock^
just above the grotto of Egeria.
The town of Nemi contains, eight hundred inhabitants ;
the air is cool and pleasant, and on the whole it must be-
owned, that the environs of this lake are well, worthy of ob-
servation. The road from Gensano to Nemi is a mile in*
length ; sandy, but beautifully picturesque. The wine of
Gensano is strong, and much esteemed in the Pope's states*
Ostia and Antiimi, was not such as to invite the Romans of
the latter years of the republic, and still less the Emperors^
to have villas in its neighbourhood. The air was not accounted
salubrious, and there seems to have been nothing particular
96
to recommend it, except the temple of Juno Regina, sonie
vestiges of which still remain.
Virgil's pathetic description of it is still more applicable to
its present circumstances.
Locus Ardua quondam
1 Dictus avis, ct nunc magnum manet Ardea nomen,
Sed fortuna fuit *.
" Our forefathers called it Ardua, and the great name of
Ardea still remains, but its fortune is fled/'
It is now very thinly inhabited, on account of the air, which
is far from good. It forms part of the diocese of Albano, but
is rarely visited except on shooting parties, the country in the
vicinity of this place affording variety of game. It is also
famous for producing the best butter in the Campagna.
* ,^eis. lib. 7. V. 409.
.'■'>:,.<;' ' , .'
>"' ■ ■ '-J y^-> - • '■••■•
■3^!r*'^ ^■■•
97
CIVITA LAVINIA.
A. SMALL town five miles distant from Albano, passing
through Laricia and Gensano. Antiquaries differ consider-
ably in their suppositions with respect to its ancient name ;
but there appears little doubt of its being called Lanuviuniy
in the time of the Roman Republic, ^neas is said to have
built a city which he named Lavinium,\n compliment tohis wife
Lavinia, not far removed from Laurentum, which belonged to
her father, King Latinus. It is highly probable that these
three cities became one ; and it is certain that inscriptions
have been found at Civita Lavinia, with the words :
S. P. Q. Lanuvensis.
The vestiges of an ancient temple are also to be seen near this
place ; and tradition says it was that of Juno Argiva, which
history tells us "was at Lanuvium.
Milo was dictator of Lanuvium, as w^e are informed by
Cicero, in his celebrated defence of him for the murder of
Clodius. He says he was going to name a Flamen there, and
was in a carriage with his wife, attended by her servants and
musicians, when he met Clodius coming from Albano.
Before the gate is a fountain by Bernini, which is said to
have served him as a model for that he afterwards completed
o
98
in Fiazza Navona at Rome. This only consists of an arch in
rock worlc.
The town is a small fortification with turrets at the corners.
A tower, exposed to the south-east, is in ruins on that side,
and entire towards the north-west : the reason assigned for it,
is the noxious effect of the scirocco winds to which it is ex-
posed, and of the exhalations from the Pontine marshes in its
vicinity.
The town is very interesting ; every thing bearing marks of
remote antiquity. Many beautiful fragments of ornamental
sculpture in stone, and marble, lie scattered about in the
streets ; and in most of the walls are stuck pieces of cornices
or columns. .
■9
The church is neither beautiful nor interesting ; there is a
crucifix with the three Maries, said to be by Raphael, and
covered with a glass. The steeple is by Borropiini, and has
a very modern appearance amongst so many ancient fabrics.
The canons have 300 crowns a-year, a salary superior to
any other in this part of the country, on account of the air,
which is very unwholesome in autumn.
To one of the turrets is affixed a ring of iron, which the in-
habitants affirm to be the same to which JEneas fastened his
vessel at his arrival in Italy, but the sea must have retreated
nine miles to give any probability to this fable. A little be-
yond this tower is one of the niost extensive views in this
country : we distinguished from it sixty miles of sea, the Pon-
tine marshes, mount Circello, and numberless towns in the
Campagfia : from another spot is a pleasing view of Velletri,
and mount Artemisio, where the inhabitants of Civitd Lavinia
saw iriany skirmiBhes between the Getmans atld Spaniards,
m
while they were severally encamped in the neighbourhood,
during the war of 1746.
There are interesting remains ofa wal) whiqh certainly was
built in the first ages of Rome. It is composed of large square
stones, and over it are vestiges of another wall also of a very
ancient date, though not equal to the former; it is of that
sort of construction which is called opus reticulatwn, from its
resemblance to the meshes of a net. On the first, remains
part of a buttress which proves its having had ornaments.
Another portion of the building appears to be of the lower
ages. Tradition aftbrds no light to discover what it was ori-
ginally.
Near this spot is a view of Gensano, monte Gentile, monte due
Torriy and monte Giove, where the wine is particularly good,.
From Lanuvium came the family of the Muroenas, of Milo,
and of many other illustrious Romans; and the Emperor An-
toninus Pius was born there.
Between Civita Lavinia and Gensano are some ruined
edifices, overgrown with brambles, whicb are called the
palace of Evander.
o 2
100
TOWNS ON THE COAST,
INCLUDING
OSTIA, PORTO, AND NETTUNO.
OSTIA, AND PORTO.
1 HE first place in Latium, on the coast of the Mediter-
ranean, after leaving Tuscany, is Ostia, situated at the
mouth of the Tiber whence it derived its name. It is 16-
miles distant from Rome, and the road is not only excellent
for carriages, but picturesque in a high degree.
This city was originally built by Ancus Martius, the 4th
king of Rome, who first established the salt works here, and.
appropriated to his naval expences the produce of a tax
which he imposed on them.
Of the noble edifices that adorned ancient Ostia, consider-
able vestiges are still to be seen ; but at present, except the
bishop's palace, where he resides a small portion of the year,
there is scarcely any modern building of importance. The
air is particularly unhealthy, and the town is chiefly inhabited
by galley slaves, who work in the salt mines. Many iron
rings are found affixed to ancient edifices, like that called the
ring of -^neas, at Crvita Lavinia. These undoubtedly
1,1.
■■>»
101
served for receiving the ropes by which the vessels wera
fastened to the port.
The principal church, denominated Santa Aurea, has in it
the sepulchre of Santa Monica, the mother of Saint Augustin,
who died here, but whose reliques were afterwards deposited
in the church of the Augustinians at Rome.
Ostia is now three miles distant from the sea, although it
was formerly one of the most useful ports in the Roman do-
minions ; but the mud deposited by the Tiber, in a long series
of ages, has occasioned this alteration. There are remains of
an ancient tower, said by Pliny to have been founded on the
machine which brought from Egypt the obelisk, erected by
Caligula in the Vatican fields.
Ostia, nearly destroyed by the Saracens, was rebuilt by
Pope Leo the IVth, Avho gave it to the Corsicans as inhabi-
tants. Martin the Vth raised a tower, which was afterwards
fortified by Julius the lid, for the protection of this port, and.
the security of the city of Rome^
Ostia produces excellent water-melons and other fruits in.
abundance. The salt works are a constant source of advan-
tage to the apostolic chamber; and in the early part of the
last century, they were farmed to a man of humble extraction,
named Lepri, who by his industry enriched himself,, while he
rendered considerable service to government, and. left to his-
descendants an ample fortune.
Porto, being on the Tuscan side of the Tiber, does not pro-
perly belong to Latium, but its vicinity renders it necessary
to give som^^ account of it.
The name is derived from the magnificent port made by
Claudius, and- afterwards embellished by Trajan. Vestit^'s-
3
m ■
are still remaining of the bason, but chiefly under water, yet
visible on a calm day : near them is a little eminence, on
which are ruins that form a picturesque effect ; and to the
right of the road which leads to Porto, are the remains of a
circular temple with three arches.
A small inn is the only building at Porto which appears
habitable, although the exterior view of the place is not dis-
agreeable, and it has much the appearance of a fortress : from
the hillocks is a complete prospect of Ostia, with its towers
and other vestiges of antiquity ; which, added to the windings
of the Tiber, forms no unpleasing landscape.
A ferry boat, directed by a chain, crosses over an arm of the
Tiber to the Isola Sagra, an island formed by the mud, sand,
and other casual ingredients, deposited by the stream. Some
authors pretend that it originated from an immense whale,
intercepted there in the time of Claudius. There is a house
on it belonging to the apostolic chamber, a casino of the
Colonna family, and some fishers' huts. A consderable num-
ber of buffaloes is also kept here, and they are extremely
savage when at liberty.
This island divides the river into two branches, at the
mouth of one of which is Fiumicino, or the little river, supposed
to be the spot where JEneas landed. Virgil's description of
the eddies, and yellow sand, may still serve to characterize
the place; but the woods were cut down, and consequently the
birds frightened away, when the new tower was built about
thirty years since, by Pope Clement the XlVth.
• ' This tower commands an extensive view of the sea, and
of the neighbouring country : there are also two piers which
project to a considerable distance, and through these enter
105
the vessels to proceed up the Tiber, as Fiumicino is at pre-
sent the only navigable branch of that river, and even here
the passage is narrow and difficult. Feluccas, and very small
tartans, and polacres, are the only vessels which can
attempt it.
On the road from this place to Porto is another tower of
much more ancient date, called Torre Alessandrina ; and places
of this nature are to be seen all along the coast, to prevent
the landing of Moorish pirates; for which purpose they are
constantly garrisoned by a proportionate number of sol-
diers.
It is impossible to visit this spot, without reflecting on the
magnificence of the ancient port of Claudius, and comparing
with it the melancholy and desolate state in which this part
of the coast now appears. On the reverse of a medal of Nero,
we see it represented with the splendid buildings which sur-
rounded it ; and we read descriptions of it in history, which
scarcely allow us to think the poet exaggerated, when he
speaks of it as a work apparently more than mortal :
Tandem intrat posit as inclusa per aequora moles
Tyrrhenamque Pharon, porrectaque brachia, rursus
Quae pelago occurrunt medio, longeque relinquunt
Italiam : non sic igitur mirabere portus
Quos Natura dedit *. ^
At last within the mighty mole she gets
Our Tyrrhene Pharos, that the mid sea meets
With its embrace, and leaves the land behind ;
A work so wondrotts Nature ne'er designed f .
• Juvenal. Sat. 12. V. 75. -j-Dryden.
104
All is now changed,- and from this truly distressing scene
the British traveller will naturally turn his thoughts with
exultation to his native country, which, at the time when
Ostia flourished in wealth and activity, could boast of as
little naval glory as that of modern Rome. Yet let him re-
member that triumphant fleets, and victorious armies, were
often hailed by the once numerous inhabitants of this cele-
brated coast, who, w^hile they welcomed their returning de-
fenders, never perhaps anticipated the reverse of fortune, of
which it now affords so striking an example : let him there-
fore, while reflecting on the revolutions of empires, and the
vicissitudes of human affairs, forbear to despise a people once
our masters, but unite his prayers and efforts for the con-
tinuation of that energy, and those advantages which dis-
tinguish the island of Great Britain, and secure her indepen-
dence, while they render her the mistress of the seas.
Near Ostia is a casino of the Sacchetti family, and an
estate of Prince Chigi, where at different times have been
found several fine antique busts and statues ; amongst the
rest, a head of Agrippina of the greatest beauty and complete
preservation, which, with some other valuable pieces of sculp-
ture, contributes to ornament his palace at Rome.
105
LAURENTUM,
PROBABLY SAN LORENZO,
About seven miles from Ostia, proceeding southward along
the coast, is Torre di San Lorenzo, which, from its situation
and the similarity of its name, appears to have been built on
or near the spot where Laurentum once stood.
This was a city of tlie Aborigines, and the residence of
Picus, Faunus, and Latinus, in whose time Virgil supposes
iEneas to have landed in Italy : it must therefore be con-
sidered as the capital of Latium at that period, and it is said
to have taken its name from the numerous laurels in its vi-
cinity.
Many inscriptions found near this place are to be seen in
various collections, and they prove the importance of Lau-
rentum during the time of the republic, and also under the
government of the Emperors. We are told that Vitellius re-
tired hither during a season when storms of thunder and light-
ning were peculiarly prevalent, because the groves of laurel
were accounted preservatives, and that the vapours proceed-
ing from the same plant were esteemed so salubrious, that
the physicians recommended the air of Laurentum to Com-
modus in a time of pestilence. It was then a flourishing city,
and we find decrees of the senate and people of Laurentum,
in honour of different princes his successors.
p
106
At a little distance was the villa of Pliny the Younger,
which he describes in a letter to his friend Gallus *. It seems,
to have been a great favourite with him ; and from his account
of the coast, ornamented by a series of towns, and villages,
as well as country houses, we may form some idea of the
beauty of the scene.
In this neighbourhood are Torre Pa^erwo, and Pratica, where
is a villa belonging to Prince Borghese.
" Lavinium, built by iEneas and called after his Latian wife,
is supposed to have stood on a little eminence, at the source
of the river Numicus, which runs into the sea at the distance
of three miles. The place is now called Santa Petronilla.
Eight miles farther was Antium, now Nettuno, and Porto
d'Anzo.
* XVIIth of the 2d book.
107
ANTIUM.
NETTUNO AND PORTO D'ANZO.
^ ETTUNO is a small maritime town, at the distance of thirty-
seven miles from Rome, to the south-east, and contiguous to
it is the little harbour called Porto d'Anzo.
The road from Albano to Nettuno is almost deserted in
summer and autumn, on account of the bad air ; but for the
first three or four miles, are to be seen vineyards with small
houses, which are inhabited during winter, when the climate
is delightful.
At Carrocetto, an estate belonging to Prince Borghese on
this road, a magnificent temporary palace of wood was erect-
ed, towards the close of the seventeenth century, for the re-
ception of the then reigning Pope and his attendants, but no
vestiges of this building remain : the chapel,* being built of
more solid materials, still subsists.
The traveller, on his way to Nettuno, passes through a con-
siderable wood, the property of the apostolic chamber,
from which a great quantity of charcoal is procured. Myr
ties' grow spontaneously on this coast to the height of large
olive trees, and every vegetable production flourishes here
with peculiar strength and beauty.
Antium, the capital of the Volscians, was supposed to owe
p 2
108
its origin to Antiiis the son of Circe, though it appears that
he only built a few scattered huts, which were afterwards
walled round and peopled by a colony of Albanese, under
the guidance of Ascanius the son of ^Eneas.
The obstinate enmity which subsisted between the Volsci-
ans and Romans, during the first ages of the republic, forms
too striking a feature in the history of those times, to allow a
repetition of it. The story of Coriolanus is also well known •
and the sumptuous monument erected to his memory near the
forum of Antium, long remained as a testimony of the esteem
in which he was held there.
It was not till all Latium became subject to the Romans,
that this city fell entirely into their power. The Senate in ge-
neral was of opinion to destroy it ; but the milder proposal
ofCamillus prevailed, and it became a colony of Rome, un-
der the consulate of Publius Philo and Spurius Postumius.
Jt was then that the decree was issued to interdict the Antia-
tes from navigation, that some of their vessels were burned,
others taken into the Roman ports, and the brazen prows of
the former employed to decorate the tribune, whence the
orators harangued the people.
As this event seems to have given to the Romans the first
idea of naval trophies, it is probable that these vessels of the
Yolscians were the first ships of war possessed by the re-
public in any number.
Little mention is made of Antium after this period, till
the civil wars between Maiius and Sylla, when the inhabi-
tants adhering to the party of the latter, their city was al-
most destroyed by Marius,. and we do not find that Sylla
took the trouble of restoring it to splendour or comfort ; though,
109
as he had a particular devotion to the goddess Fortune, it i^
probable that he eitlier built or improved her celebrated
temple in this city.
Some authors pretend that Caligula was born here, and that,
when he became Emperor, he had thoughts of making it the
capital of his dominions ; but as it ap|>ears certain that he
was born in his father's camp, if the name of Caius Coesar
was found on the register of births in this cit}^ as is asserted,
it must have been another son of Germanicus and Agrip-
pina, who bore that name, and died an infant.
. Nero wa§^ undoubtedly bom at Antium, and to him was
chiefly owing the splendid magnificence of its buildings. He
brought hither a colony of veteran soldiers, praetorian guards,
and others, built many public as well as private edifices, and
completed the harbour called after him the Neronian port.
To celebrated the birth of his daughter, Claudia Poppea, he
exhibited games in the circus, anciently built here at the ex-
pence of the Censor Appius Claudius, but embellished by
Nero, as we find by an inscription dug up in the gardens of
Villa Pamfili at Nettuno.
Near this circus Nero built a chapel for the Claudian and
Domitian families : this was a species of temple, not exact-
ly resembling those consecrated to the gods, but considered
as a place of public worship ; and he obtained from the Senate
a decree for the annual celebration of the Circensiau games,
in honour of these bis ancestors. To the chapel he added
sumptuous porticoes ; and Pliny informs us, that one of his
freed men adorned them with excellent paintings, and statues,
representing the most celebrated gladiators of those times.
Of their excellence no doubt can be entertained, as two of
7
no
the finest specimens of antique sculpture, the fighting and the
dying gladiator, were found in this spdt : the first, long since
discovered, is in the possession of the Borghese family ; and
the second was more recently found by Cardinal Alexander
Albani, who gave it to Pope Clement the XlVth, for the
museum at the capital.
'J'here was a lesser circus near the sea-shore, in which were
performed naval engagements and games in honour of Nep-
tune, who had a noble temple at Antium : they took place on
the daj^s preceding the ninth of May, a season when this coast
is in its highest beauty ; and they aie mentioned by Cicero,
in his letters to Atticus, as being delightful and magnificent in
the highest degree.
This temple of Neptune must have been held in great
feneration by the ancients, as we learn from the n\imerous
inscriptions and votive tablets discovered at Nettuno, which
place derives its name from being built on its ruins. Sailors
came hither after their voyages, to perform their vows, and
offer gifts at the shrine of their tutelar deity.
It was situated on the market place, near which were also
the naval arsenals, and the ancient port of the Antiates.
The temple of Esculapius was on the sea-shore, as appears
by what remains of its ruins near the new port. It was in
ancient times surrounded by a grove of myrtles and palm
trees ; on one of which the serpent which accompanied the
Koman ambassadors from Epidaurus took refuge while their
vessel staid in this port, till after three days the wind per-
mitted them to pursue their voyage to Rome : this serpent
being supposed to enclose the divinity for wh^m they had
sent this solemn deputation, the Romans held him in high
Ill
veneration ; which sentiment was naturally continued to the
grove which lie had chosen for a temporary asylum. A fine
statue of Esculapius was found amidst the ruins of this
temple, and deposited in the Vatican museum. Near the
same spot was the temple of Venus, and there was also one
dedicated to Apollo. It was here that the master-piece of
sculpture, the Belvedere Apollo, was also discovered. Not
only the forum, but the w^hole city, must have been orna-
mented with statues of distinguished merit. Amongst those
<^ound by Cardinal Alexander Albani, and placed in his truly
classical and elegant villa, near Porta Salara at Rome, were
the Adrian, the Septimius Severus, and the Faustina. A con-
siderable part of the collection, sold by the same Cardinal to
Pope Clement the Xllth, for sixty thousand crowns, was also
the produce of excavations in this neighbourhood ; and the
tripods, vases, sepulchral and otherinscriptions, daily found in
these researches, were innumerable.
Near the remains of the port of Nero, under the promon-
tory, are seen vestiges of the temple of Fortune. This was a
building of great celebrity, and gave occasion to the noble
ode of Horace, in which he addresses that divinity, suppli-
cating her to protect Augustus in his expedition to Britain,
O Diva gratum quae regis Antium.
Go(ddefs, whom Antium, beauteous town, obeys*.
She was here worshipped under the twofold image of
equestrian and female fortune, and the answers of her oracle
* Francis.
112
were given as at Praeneste by casting lots, with the denomina-
tion of " Sortes Antiatinoe/'
It is needless to mention the ridiculous pageantry of Nero,
when, at his return from Greece, he celebrated his theatrical
triumphs at Antium, previous to his doing the same at
Home.
Mecaenas had a villa here : it was famous for a fountain of
hot water called Caldanum, over which he erected a statue of
Augustus as protector of the source. If we may judge from
the similarity of the name, this wa« in a place now called
" Torre delle Caldane.'' The water of this fountain was
brought to the public baths at Antium, by means of an
aqueduct, the direction of which has been traced by modern
antiquaries.
Many inscriptions found here, prove that there were
various establishments for the use of the Roman navy, such
as a dockyard, arsenal, and magazines.
Strabo mentions the great delight the Romans took in
having villas on this coast ; and we know that Lucretius,
Atlicus, and LuculUis often resided here : the latter had a
magnificent dwelling at Antium, as well as in many other
parts of Italy ; and Cicero, when, he speaks of his own house and
library at this place, in one of his letters to Atticus, adds,
that the inhabitants are men of civltivated mimls, and prefer
their native city to th^e metropolis. Brutus and Cassius
had also villas here, whither they retired after the murder of
Caesar.
Augustus was at Antium when he received the decree of
the senate, which granted him the title uf " Father of his
ii3
country ;" and the house which he inhabited was afterwards
improved and embelhshed by Tiberius.
Agrippina the Younger had a villa with delightful gardens
near the sea.
Filostratus speaks in the highest terms of the palace, gar-
dens, and library of the Emperor Adrian. In the last he
preserved the books of AppoloniusTyaneuus; and in the gardens
were many fine statues, some of which have been discovered ;
as the Cybele, or Tyrian Juno, seated on a lion, the Berenice,
and the Shepherds. They were placed in Villa Pamfili at
Rome.
Antoninus Pius restored the aqueducts, and in gratitude
for this benefit the inhabitants erected an altar to his memory,
called ^ra pa. *' ' -■ ''^^ -^ o, > ...,j ,: -jt.:. - .. ;: .::.,
Vespasian, Comthb'drfs, arid^: Se^titii lis Sevems; * also spent
some time here, as we find by inscriptions on another 'aque-
duct. If we may believe Poi'phyrius, all the Emperors before
Constantino loved to reside at Antium, thinking that the
vicinity of the temple of Fortune gave success to their un-
dertakings and prosperity to their empire.
Constantino bestowed on the church of St. John of Lateran
all his possessions in the territory of Antium ; and it ap-
pears that there were many Christians in this city, even at the
earliest period of our religion. Gaudentius, bishop of Antium,
signed the council held in 46.5 by Pope Hilary against the
Nestorians.
The city was destroyed by the frequent incursions of the
barbarians, and particularly of the Saracens in the 8th and
9th centuries of the Christian ffira. The inhabitants at length
retired into that part of the city where was the arsenal, and
Q
|}4
where the temple of Neptune gave its name to their new
establishment.
Colonies of the Saracens landed here at different times,
and extended their invasion to many of the neighbouring
towns ; but they were finally cut off by the Christian inhabi-
tants, and the women and children alone were spared. From
these Saracen women the present Neptunese are supposed to
descend ; and their dress, as well as many of their customs,
preserves the remembrance of their origin.
The present town of Nettuno with the adjoining port, con-
tains about two thousand inhabitants. Situated on a rock, a
mile to the east of Capo d'Anzo, it has a picturesque appear-
ance, and is surrounded by a good wall and parapet : on the
land side, it has also a ditch and towers which appear very
ancient ; at tlie eastern angle are a few guns ; and to the west
is a fortress, erected by Pope Alexander the Vlth, with a
governor and a small garrison. It has four bastions, and
is reported to have been built after drawings of Michael
Angel o.
There is only one gate of entrance, and it has a drawbridge
guarded by a piquet of soldiers. The streets arc narrow and
the houses low, but they appear to be neat and in good or-
der. An old palace belonging to the apostolic chamber serves
as a town-house, and the vice-governor resides in it. The
family of Stgneri and some others have good houses, and there
is one belonging to Prince Doria, on the walls of the town
iiext the sea, in which are magnificent apartments, with a
gallery of uncommon length ; the ceiling painted by Mola.
The furniture of this house is curious, from being the same as
belonged to Donna Olimpia, n>arried first to a Pamfili, and
1
115
afterwards to a Borghese; through which connection she
was all-powerful during the reign of the Pope of that name^
and amassed great wealth. Her portrait, which is that of
a handsome woman, hangs in this gallery,
A part of this house is separated from the rest, and onlj
joined by a drawbridge, as tlie proprietors made this a place
of refuge when they were attacked by the Saracens, a danger
to which they were continually exposed from the situation
of their dwelling. A terrace, which is built on the most pro^
minent part of the rock, and overlooks the sea, commands on
one hand the view of Porto cVAnzo, and on the other the pro-
montory called Monte Circello, celebrated by poets as the
habitation of Circe, and Torre d'Astura, which still retains
its ancient name. Cicero had here a villa, to which he re*
treated to avoid the fatal effects of the proscription, but soon
departed for his house at Formia, near which he was put to
death. It is now a handsome tower, with a bridge leading to
it; and in the year 1268, Conradin of Suevia^ and Frederick,
Duke of Austria, took refuge in it, after having lost the battle
of Togliacozzo, but were detained prisoners by Frangipani,
to whom the place belonged, and given up to Charles d'An-
jou, who beheaded them publicly at Naples, on the 29tli of
October the same year. tb ^i'vff ♦ - ^f* ^ .. -1,^ > .
The parochial church of Nettuno (which forms part of the
diocese of Albano) is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, lii
the suburb is an hospital with a church annexed to it, and a
convent of Fi'anciscans, in whose church is a fine altar-piece
by Andrea Succhi, a native of this place. The subject of it
is the Virgin and Child in the clouds, with St. Joseph, St. Bafr
tholomew, St. Francis, and St. Roch praying to them. The
Q 2
116
upper part of this picture is not finished, but the saints have
great merit, particularly St. Bartholomew.
The men of Nettuno have the reputation of being very idle,
and of preferring the sports of the field to the cultivation of
their little territory ; but the women are certainly indus-
trious ; they have good complexions, and are in general hand^
some. Their dress is very rich and becoming : single and
married women wear scarlet cloth trimmed with gold lace,
and violet when in mourning ; widows black : their habit is
of a peculiar form like that of the Moorish ladies, and they
are very tenacious of it; insomuch that it was not without
considerable difficulty that Pope Gregory the Xlllth could
induce them in some measure to lengthen their dresses, and
leave off their Moorish boots, to which they have substituted
slippers of rich silk, or gold or silver leather, with cork soles
two inches thick.
The neighbourhood of this place abounds in wild boars,
stags, and hares; no less than in wood pigeons, wild ducks,
wood-cocks, and snipes : great numbers of quails are caught
at their passage in the spring, by the means of nets spread on
the shore. ') ^^ ^^^^ ffft ,^ ^
Nettuno was at a remote period a fief of the Orsini family,
ai may be ascertained by their arms on one of the towers.
It afterwards for several ages belonged to the Colonnas, till
Marcantonio Colonna, on being appointed general of the
Pope's galleys against the Turks, contracted debts to so con-
siderable an amount for his equipment, that he was obliged
to sell Nettuno and the adjoining territoryto the apostolic
chamber, for the sum of four hundred thousand crowns. It
is remarkable that this expedition, which ended in his gaining,
with Don John of Austria, the memorable battle of Lepanto,
while it freed his country and Europe in general from perpe-
tual alarm and danger, should have been so severely detri-
mental to the conqueror.
After this victory, which took place in the year fifteen
hundred and ninety four, which decided the fate of Europe,
and put a stop to the formidable approaches of the Turks,
Marcantonio Colonna made his triumphal entry into Rome,
and ascended the capitol, where his statue in marble was
afterwards placed : the ceremony was performed in imitation
■of the triumphs of the ancients, and is the last of which the
Romans have yet to boast.
'*"Italy had no longer reason to fear a serious attack on the
part of the Turks ; but even within a few years past, and much
-more in the 17th century, Moorish vessels would often molest
and carry off inhabitants from this coast ; and whenever the
late Pope went to visit the Pontine marshes, his galleys and
other armed vessels cruized off this shore, as necessary guards
for his safety.
-'^'Under the fortress is a rock full of shells, which daily in-
creases, from similar matter being thrown up by the sea and
hardened in the air. ' About four miles from the town is a
mine of sulphur, which when purified produces annually a
considerable advantage to the apostolic chamber. There
are also iron works at a little place called " Campo Leone,'^
belonging to Prince Doria, as heir of the Pamfili estates.
The port denominated by its ancient name, " Porto
d'Anzo," requires constant attention to keep it in tolerable
order ; the south-east winds, which so frequently blow on
this coast, fill it up incessantly, and render the shore, and even
118
the access to the porti very dangerous. The seamen of Net-
tuno are esteemed the best of the Pope's states which border
the Mediterranean : they, and indeed all the Neptunesc, are
clean in their persons, and civil in their manners. Excellent
fish is caught here.
Along the coast, between Nettuno and Capo d'Anzo, are
several villas belonging to distinguished Roman families, who
often pass the month of April or May here. ,
Villa Costaguti, belonging to the Marquis of that name, was
built in the 17th century, at the joint expence of two Cardi-
nals of the family. Vignola wa6 the architect ; and it has 9,
beautiful effect towards the sea, with fine orange groves and
gardens. It is also called Villa di bell' aspetto. The meridian
line drawn by the celebrated Boscovich, in the church of
Santa Maria degli Angioli at Rome, p^gses thTPWgh t\iis villa,
after glancing by Castel Gandolfo to the west.
Villa Pamfili belongs to Prince Doria ; the bouse is not
large, but elegantly built by Vignola.
Villa Albani, built by Cardinal Alexander Albani, great
nephew of Pope Clement the Xlth, in the year seventeen
hundred and thirty four, is one of the chief ornaments of
Porto d'Anzo. The house is large, commodious, and welt
furnished ; in the gallery are the four parts of the world
painted on glass, and the principal ports of Italy in their
ancient state, executed in the same manner with the greatest
topographical correctness. The view from the windows i$
very fine, and the gardens are delightful. There are caves
behind the house, where the Cardinal found many of his
valuable antique paintings, and other inter^^fipg i;eflaains of
the magnificence of Antiuni. ...... .|ii.jiiia»kv, .:J
119
Villa Corsini is a house of considerable size and conveni-
ence : it was built by Cardinal Neri Corsini, a Florentine,
during the pontificate of his uncle ; and the gardens are re-
markable for an immense fig-tree.
The vestiges of the ancient port of Nero, extend very far
into the sea, and give manifest evidence of the solidity with
which it was constructed : one of the ancient towers, which
is very useful as a land mark by the name of " Torre d'Anzo/'
still subsists at the land end of the ancient mole.
The modern port, formed by Pope Innocent the Xllth,
owed its construction to the grief he felt on account of the
frequent shipwrecks which happened on this coast. The want
of a harbour between Gaetaand Civita Vecchia produced the
most disastrous occurrences, and the Pope therefore resolved
to visit Nettuno, examine the vestiges of the port of Nero,
and on the same plan construct a harbour which would have
been the finest on the Italian coast. Political reasons pre-
vented the execution of this noble project, and Innocent con-
tented himself with making a port, capable of containing
small vessels and a few galleys.
On the traces however of the ancient port to the east, was
raised a mole of considerable length, which, projecting into
the sea, does not reach near so far as the masses of ruins still
remaining, but at the distance of about three hundred steps
fi*om the main land forms an angle towards Nettuno. At
the angle and at the extremity it is defended by two forts
with good artillery, the latter of which serves as a light-
house, and in the other is a garrison of thirty soldiers.
This mole is faced by another, which was intended to be
120
of sufficient length to leave only a proper space for the en-
trance of vessels ; but, the work not being continued, the
port is exposed to the south-east winds, and would be useless
were not two hundred and fifty galley, slaves kept continually
employed in clearing it. Jnoioni? odt io *^ irjjtso/ -vjT
On the shore, near the beginning of the mole, is a fountain
of excellent fresh water, which is plentifully supphed by a
stream brought hither from a considerable distance. It also
supplies a lesser fountain halfway up the mole, for the greater
conveniency of the boats sent on shore for water, t ,ui . . '
There is a considerable building which contains lodgings
for a physician, an apothecary, and a surgeon, revenue
officers, health officers, and others attached to the service of
government. A long portico with a terrace over it orna-
ments this edifice, in which are likewise fine apartments for
the Castellano, or governor of the fort, who used always to.bp
a Knight of Malta. 1 •*Hi mi l^^f!.^ f>ff* n-i-^'i
The galley slaves are also lodged here, and there is an hos-
pital.
The church belonging to this building is dedicated to St.
Antony of Padua, the usual protector of harbours : two friars
of the order of Minor Conventuals officiate as chaplains, and
have apartments here.
The arsenal is a good building, capable of containing the
galleys, which are frequently here during summer: adjoin-
ing to it are lodgings for shipwrights, and workmen of dif-
ferent denominations. There is also a house for passon-
gers who wish to be onshore, while vessels remain in this
harbour.
in
Dnring the months of July, August, and September,
the heat is intense, and the air of Porto d'Anzo is far from
good.
The treasurer general of the apostolic chamber is always
governor of Nettuno, and deputes a vice-governor who
resides here, for the exercise of civil and criminal judi-
cat-ure.
Under Paul the IVth, in the war between the GarafFa fa-
mily and the Spaniards, the latter commanded by the Duke of
Alba besieged Nettuno, but were bravely repulsed by the
Neptunese headed by Colonna.
In addition to the celebrity of Autium, so great in ancient
limes on account of the excellence of its port, and the
beauties of its edifices, we might give a long list of distin-
guished orators, statesmen, and generals, who are mentioned
by historians as natives of this place.
Some of the most respectable were the Aufidii, the Antii,
and the Antistii. Of the first, descended from Tullus Au-.
fidius, general of the Volscians, on whose hearth Coriolanus
took refuge in exile, were the celebrated jurisconsults Cneus
Aufidius, who was praetor in the time of Appius Claudius, and
two brothers who left a hundred and forty books of their own
studies and of decrees. Under Sylla there was a celebrated
orator of 'this family, and Aufiduis Pronto was preceptor to the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Of the Antii the most celebrated were Valerius Antias,
cotemporary of Sylla, and Furius Antias, who lived in
the time of Catullus ; from the former of whom Livy,
and from the second, Virgil, were supposed to have bor-
. K
12^
rowed considerably. The famous author of the sump-
tuary law, Antias Restio, was also of this family.
Of the Antistii were many tribunes, praetors, and con-
suls, as well as jurisconsults. Antistius Burrus was consul
with the Emperor Commodus, and became his brother-in-law,
but was put to death by his order, together with Antistius
Capella of the same family, who had been the Emperor's
preceptor.
' , Amongst the modern families of Nettuno that of Segneri
is conspicuous for its nobility, and for having given birth to
two learned Jesuits, whose works on religious subjects are
held in high estimation throughout Italy.
Antonio Ongaro, a poet of considerable merit, was also a
native of Nettuno. He was a cotemporary of Tasso, and, in
imitation of his " Aminta/' composed '' Alceo," a piscatory
drama, which met with great and deserved applause :
*' Alceo, che prima gloria cd ornamento
- . Di qucsto mar che nacque nel castello
Che dal grun Dio dell' onde ha priso il nome *.
It is generally said that in these lines lie spoke of himself^
but it is to be hoped that he meant to allude to one of his pa-
trons. He was much beloved by the Princes of the houses
of Farnese, and Colonna, who, when they had any interval of
rest from their military exploits, imlulged their taste for li-
terature and the fine arts, and were particularly fond of thea-
trical amusements. Ongaro's elegant little composition was^
acted for the first time at Nettuno, under the auspices
of the Colonna family, in the year fifteen hundred and
eighty-two.
* Alceo, Scena prima,
7
153'
- AiK^reaSacchi was also aNeptunese, though usually called
a Roman from his being sent early to the capital, m here his
celebrated picture at the church of San Romoaldo, and many
other excellent paintings, justly rank him as one of the
greatest artists of the 17th century.
PLACES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF NETTUNO.
" AsturA was considered as the last place of the Latian ter-
ritory on the confines of the Volscians. The tower, now
called Torre d'Astitra, was built as a retreat for the Popes in the
time of danger, and it is said Gelasius the lid went tliither in[
1120, Near it is a small town or rather village, named Santa
Felicita, where Pope Celestine the lid was born ; and not far
from thence, the little river Nymphtjeus throws itself into the
sea.
The peninsula entitled Monte Circello comes next. Here,
it is said, resided Circe the enchantress, daughter of the Syn ;
and the medicinal herbs, which still grow in abundance on the
spot which retains her name, were in those times supposed to
assist her in the composition of her magical spells. "Tarquin
was the first who sent a Roman colony to this place ; and
Strabo, who wrote "under the government of Augustus,
mentions a town on the hill, with a temple dedicated to
Circe, and the cavern of Minerva, where travellers were shown
the vase out of which tradition reported Ulysses and the
goddess to have drank. There is, at the foot of the moun-
tain, a little elevation, which is said to be the tomb of Elpe-
nor, one of the followers of Ulysses, whose ghost appeared to
him in the infernal regions, and requested that he would inter
the body.
R 2
124
Bejond Monte Cireello is a small place called Ferona,
anciently Ftronia, founded bj the Lacedaemonian colonists,
who were sent out in the time of Lycurgus, and shipwrecked
near this spot. To perform their vow they built this town,
with a temple dedicated to the goddess Feronia, so called
from her being supposed to protect the fruits of the earth.
In the neighbourhood was the village of Satura, with a
fountain sacred to Ferotiia. Livy tells- us, that Hannibal, in
his return from his fruitless attempt to surprize Rome, carried
off the treasures of this temple, and committed various de-
predations.
We find*, in the Latin historians, mention often made of
Satricum, a colony of the Antiates ; but the town was des-
troyed before the time of Pliny. This place was celebrated
for a temple of the goddess Matata, and antiquaries believe
it was on the spot where at present is Conca, an estate be-
longing to the tribunal of the inquisition at Rome, :
^^
125
VELLETRI,
AND THE PONTINE MARSHES.
VELITRiE, VELLETRI.
This city is twelve miles distant from Albano, and twent}'-
six from Rome, on the road to Naples. It has a fine effect
when first seen at a distance, as it is situated on an eminence,
and its principal buildings are most in view.
It was in ancient times a considerable town of the Volscians,
and was supposed to be the place where the young Camilla,
with her father Metabus, took refuge when obliged to fly
from their native place Privernum, now Piperno. ^
In the year of Rome two hundred and fifty-nine, the Vol-
scians were defeated near Velitrae by the Romans, undef
Aulus Virginius who was then consul, and who followed them
into their city, and took possession of it. A colony was sent
thither, and in the year two hundred and sixty-one the num-
ber of colonists was increased. In three hundred and seventy-
two, the people of Velitrae rebelled ; an army was sent
lagainst them, and they were defeated, together with their
allies, the Praenestines, who seem to have encouraged their in-
surrection ; on which account Velitrae was spared, and war
declared against Praeneste.
They however continued obstinate, and their city was
besieged during, four successive years, till at length in three
126
hundred and eighty-six, it was taken bj the great Camillus,
then in the eightieth year of his age.
They afterwards joined in the Latin war, and when the Ro-
mans had subdued all the different nations which formed the
league, the Senate of Velitrae was removed, and obliged to in-
habit the suburb of Rome on the other side of the Tiber,
subject to a severe penalty if they crossed the water. Col-
onists were sent to their estates, and no farther mention is
made of disputes with this city, which soon recovered its for-
mer splendour and population.
The Octavian family long inhabited Velitrae, and a part of
the town was called after their name. There was also here
an altar dedicated to an Octavius, who, being general in a war
against a neighbouring nation, happened to be sacrificing to
Mars when he received the news of a sudden invasion of the
enemy. It is said that he snatched the half-consumed victim
from the fire, flew to his post, and returned victorious : in
coinmemoration of which circumstance a decree was made,
4)rdaining that a similar mode of sacrifice should be conti-
nued, and that after the entrails had been offered to Mars,
the remainder of the victim should be sent to the house of
the Octavii.
Tliis family was inscribed by Tarquin the 1st amongst the
Roman citizens ; and afterwards being received into the
Senate by Servius Tullus, they became patricians, but again
they appear to have been plebeians, and to have remained. so
till the time of Julius Caesar, when they were restored to their
former rank.
From a younger and not the most fortunate branch of this
127
family descended the father of Augustus, who was praetor
in Macedon, and mamed Atia the niece of Julius Ciiesar.
' It appears difficult to ascertain whether Augustus was born
here or at Rome : it is certain that he was nursed, and passed
the first years of his infancy, at a small house belonging to
the Octavian family in the suburbs of Vehtme. This place
was afterwards held sacred, and supposed to inspire a su-
pernatural awe to those who entered it without previous pre-
paration.
Although the modern inhabitants of Velletri do not give
credit to Pagan miracles, they have httle less veneration for
the memory of Augustus than was felt by their progenitors.
Busts of marble, or casts from them, ornament their houses ;
and where these are not to be attained, at least a print of him
appears on the wall. His portrait is the sign of the principal
inn ; and it would be difficult to find one " Velletrano,'"
however humble in birth and education, who is unacquainted
with the principal features of his history.
" II palazzo pubblico/' or town-house of modern Velletri,
is situated on the most elevated part of the town, and com-
mands an extensive view of the sea and Roman plain; Hence
" Monte Circello," though a promontory, appears what
Homer and Virgil agree in calling it, " The JEan Island,'' or
the " Island of Circe.'' Nothing is here visible of the neck
of land which unites it to the continent ; but it is highly pro-
bable that in the time of Homer, who was undoubtedly a
more accurate observer than poets are usually allowed to be,
the sea might cover those sands from which it has at present
withdrawn itself.
In the council-hall are the armorial bearings of all the noble
i28
femiles of Velletri, and of those aggregated to their number
from Rome and other places. From the chapel a door opens
into a ball room, used for the public " festini," or masked
balls at Carnival time : there is also a library, to which the
late Cardinal Borgia was a considerable benefactor ; and
he* also gave the antique bust of Augustus, which is to be
seen' there.
. " The academy of the Volscians," an institution which
does honour to the literary and scientific knowledge of the
people of Velletri, holds its meetings in this palace.
Above these rooms are elegant apartments, decorated and
furnished atthepublicexpence,forthe late Cardinal Gian Fran-
cesco Albani, who was Bishop and Prince of Velletri. In the
first ante-room are paintings in fresco, representing the actions
of Augustus, and particularly the battle of Actium. In the
second are portraits of three Popes, Albani, Lambertini,
who made the bishop a Cardinal, and Braschi. Another por-
trait also graces this room : it is that of Stanislaus Poniatowsky,
late king of Poland, of which crown Cardinal Albani was
" protector," a title given to Cardinals, under whose direc-
tion and patronage are the churches and other religious
establishments at Rome, belonging to the different states of
Europe, which profess the Roman catholic religion : this is one
of the many customs transmitted by the ancient Romans to
their descendants. Theisland of Sicily was under the protection
of Marccllus, Greece under that of Titus Flaminius ; in short,
all tlie states and cities, not immediately included in the
Roman dominions, but evidently under the direction of Rome,
claimed each a senator to defend their privileges, and patron-
ize the individuals belonging to them, who might have busi-
m
iit5ss to transact in the metropolis of the world. These acted
in some measure as resident ministers, a quality otherwise
not known in ancient Rome; and the Cardinals, who now imi-
tate them, are often protectors and representatives of the
same crown.
The first drawing room is ornamented with landscapes, and
another with sea pieces. The state bed-chamber, occupied
by Pius the Vlth, when he made his annual visits to the Pon-
tine marshes, and the Gabinetio, a small room which commands
a noble view of the sea, and is furnished with great taste and
magnificence, are elegant apartments ; and the latter, as well
as the eating room, has a chimney piece remarkably beauti-
ful.
This palace is destined for the meetings of the magis-
trates, who are annually chosen for the government of the
city, out of the numerous and respectable body of the nobility
of Velletri.
Palazzo Lancelotti, or Gifietti, is situated on one side of a
square, in the midst of which is a statue of Urban the
Vlllth (Barberini), who was the reigning pontiff when this
palace was built. The figure is cast in bronze from a model
hy Bernini, and is esteemed one of his best performances.
This palace is a magnificent structure, and originally be-
longed to the noble family of Ginetti, the heiress of which was
engaged to a Prince Lancelotti, but was unfortunately burn-
ed to death a few days before the intended marriage. Her
father bestowed the house, with an estate worth 14,000
crowns a-year, on the destined bridegroom.
The rooms are large and well proportioned ; but the chief
beauty of the edifice is a marble staircase, which leads from
/
130
the court to the summit of the house, with noble galleries
ornamented in a similar manner.
The apartments are full of antique statues, defaced by the
troops who inhabited this palace, in seventeen hundred and
forty-six, as the king of Spain made it his head quarters. He
was here surprised by the Austrian general Braun, and
obliged to escape- during the night with scarcely any cloath-
ing, through the gardens to the Capucin convent ; and it is
supposed he would have been taken, had the cavalry arrived
in time to cut off his retreat. The history of this war written
in Latin by Bonamici, an Italian in the Spanish service, is not
only very interesting as to facts, but is accounted nearly equal
,to the works of the ancient Roman historians, for purity of
stile, and elegance of composition.
When the king of Spain took his final leave of Velletri, he
carried off the four best statues of this palace at the request
of its owner.
In the gardens are several antique tombs, with other pieces
of sculpture, which have a good effect intermixed with cy-
presses ; more particularly when they are seen through one of
the marble arches of the staircase. , i
At the house of Marquis Borgia, brother of the Cardinal,
and late governor of Umbria, is a museum much visited by
the scientific lovers of antiquity, and peculiarly interesting to
those who study the remains of Egyptian and Etruscan labour
and ingenuity.
This collection was commenced by his grandfather Cle-
mente Erminio Borgia, author of a " History of Velletri,"
often mentioned in that " of the church and town of Velletri,"
writtea by Monsigaor Alessandro Borgia, archbishop of
131
Fermo, and published at Nocera, in the j-ear seventeen
hundred and twenty-three.
The chief objects of this collection were a series of con-
sular and imperial medals, and a considerable number of
pieces of ancient sculpture; aGalbaand a Pertinax: the latter
was given to the Museum Clementinum. Every individual
of this family seems to have contributed to the acquirement
of antiquities; but their museum was pillaged during the war
in seventeen hundred and forty-four.
They repaired their losses; and the Cardinal added so much
to the collection, that he may be almost considered as its
founder.
There are many hundred Egyptian figures, or other pieces
of sculpture of that country, in marble, bronze, lead, ivory,
wood, and the composition called by the Italians " pasta:''
amongst these is one with a temporary head, to be put on or
taken off according to the day allotted for the celebration of
any particular festival ; an economical mode of worship
which was probably not uncommon: it resembles the custom
of modern Italy, which, when a new pope is made, places
his head on the shoulders of the former pope's portrait, as
the ancients also did by the statues of their emperors. This
moveable head is that of a cat.
The museum contains also a great number of precious
stones representing Egyptian divinities, customs, and rites;
as also beetles adorned with symbolical figures ^nd hierogly-
phics; a series of Alexandrian medals, numerous fragments
of Cophto-Thebaic manuscripts, and a very interesting ma-
nuscript in Greek characters on papyrus, which was found in
s 2
132
a subterranean cavern at Giza, supposed to be the ancient
Memphis. Jt is the first specimen of the papyrus which
was discovered, and before this it was only known by Pliny's
description: it contains an account of the works on which
the Egyptians were employed on the Nile.
Another interesting object of curiosity is a large stone
sarcophagus, with hieroglyphics within, and ancient Egyptian
characters without. It was brought from Cairo, and has
excited many wishes to explain the characters. Perhaps if
this inscription were compared with that taken from the
French at Alexandria and brought to England, they might
be found to be the same characters.
There is a fragment of the gospel of Saint John, in Cophto-
Thebaic of the 4th century; and other interesting manu-
scripts of the early ages of Christianity.
It would be endless to give an account of all the coins,
vases, pater, candelabra, and other antiques in this mu-
seum. Several bas reliefs, in terra cotta, representing Volscian
customs, are very interesting from their antiquity, and they
are executed in a manner superior to what might be expected
at so early a period of the arts.
There are also lamps, hospitable tablets, tickets for the
theatres, domestic utensils, and other antiques, which have
given occasion to many learned dissertations.
The specimens of Indian curiosities from different nations,
Asiatic manuscripts, and Mexican paintings, are very nu-
merous.
A celestial globe made by an Arabian astronomer in the
year twelve hundred and twenty-five, many Arabic inscrip-
133
tions, Runic calendars, arms of different northern nations,
and crosses, chalices, and manuscripts of the early ages of
Christianity, complete this collection.
Cardinal Borgia had also a small villa near Vclletri, in
"which he had his cabinet of natural history, with an inscrip-
tion to say that he had imitated his fellow-citizen Augustus,
who was fond of collecting antiques and rarities: from this
place is an extensive view of the countr^^ bounded by the
sea and the horizon.
Near Velletri is Monte Artemisio, which, in all probability,
preserves the name of a temple of Diana. It is famous for
having been the seat of war in the last century, when the
houses of Bourbon and Austria contended for the crown of
the two Sicilies.
In a vineyard, not far from this place, were found, some
years since, fragments of marble, and four little lions of solid
gold, which the proprietor sold, and, with the product of
them, bought some more ground adjoining, where he sup-
posed antiques might be discovered. He was not disap-
pointed, for several valuable objects were found, and in parti-
cular a beautiful colossal statue of Minerva.
The Volscian territories extended be^^ond Anxur, now
TeiTacina, the last city belonging to the papal dominions on
the coast of the Mediterranean towards Naples. The fertility
of these lands was remarkable, and occasioned continual
disputes between the nobles and plebeians, who, after the
reduction of the Volscians, insisted on a division of their
estates, and at length obtained it.
But about the year of Rome four hundred and forty a new
miracle, as Pliny calls it, took place on this spot. The
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134
fertile plains, which had been the cause of so much dis-
sension, were inundated by the sea, and rendered not only
barren but impassable. The censor, Appius Claudius, un-
dertook to make a road from Rome to Capua, but that part
which crossed the marshes was soon laid under water, and
remained so till the consulate of Cornelius Cethegus, who
gained great applause by draining them. This useful work
was, however, of short duration; for we find the marshes
again existed in the time of Julius Caesar, who intended to
put a stop to this inconveniency, but was prevented by
death: the project was renewed by Augustus, as Horace
informs us
Sterlllsve diu palus, aptaque remis,
Vicxnas urbes alit, et grave sentit aratrum*.
That barren marsh, whose cultivated plain
Now gives the neighb'ring towns its various grain.
Francis.
The endeavours of Augustus were not, however, crowned
with complete success; for Pliny, who wrote his natural
history under the reign of Vespasian, speaks of the marshes
as then existing; and Quintilian, his contemporary, proposes
the question, whether they can be drained or not?
Vespasian restored the Appian Way from Rome to this
place; but it was reserved for Trajan to re-establish it through
the marshes as far as Terracina, by raising it to such a height
that the waters could not go over it. This he did at his
own private ex pence, as we are told by an inscription fgund
on making the new road, in 1779.
* Art of Poetry, v. 6$.
135:
'We learn from Horace's account of his journey to Brun-
dusium, that travellers were, at that time, obliged to go part
of the way in a boat.
Trajan's road was nineteen miles in length, and was called
Decennovium, as we find by an inscription of Theodoric,
and by one of the letters of his minister Cassiodorus.
Theodosius and his sons Arcadius and Honorius also re-
paired this road.
Not only miUary columns, but many inscriptions and
other interesting remains of antiquity were found when the
new road was made by Pius the Sixth.
This pontiff, at a great expence, and with indefatigable
perseverance, converted a very considerable part of these
pernicious marshes into pasturage, corn-fields, and rice-plan-
tations. He made a canal twenty miles in length, which
conveys the once stagnant waters into the sea; and he
intersected it with many lesser channels, which direct them
so as to fertilize the fields which they once rendered useless
and pestilential. • ^^ — J
The many great qualities of Pius the Sixth cannot perish
in oblivion; his hospitality to travellers of ever}^ nation, and
his attention to British travellers in particular, ought ever
to be remembered. Adversity proved that he possessed yet
nobler virtues : his uncommon magnanimity and resignation
under trials which might appal the bravest, and his dignified
contempt of menaces and insults of the most barbarous
nature, can with difficulty be effaced from the annals of
history. Yet should all this be unknown to posterity, still
would the name of Braschi be revered as the munificent
lover of the arts, in the noble erection of the Vatican mu-
5
1S6
seum; and as the benefactor of his subjects and of the
public at large, in restoring so considerable a tract of coun-
try to cultivation and salubrity.
Velletri being the last town included in the " Campagna/'
we shall return to the lake of Albano, and thence proceed to
the more northern towns and villages.
137
MARINO.
AQU^ FERENTIN-E, OR MARIANUM, MARINO.
Marino is twelve miles distant from Rome, and there
seems to be little doubt of its occupying the spot where
was once situated a place called " Ferentinum/' from the
neighbouring fountain, which was held in high veneration
hy the ancients. The source of this water, which is now to
be seen in the garden of Prince Colonna, was the ** Caput
Ferentinae," where the people of Latium assembled to hold
councils for the general good of the state; and the wood
between Marino and the lake was sacred to the nymph of
the spring.
These assemblies took place after the destruction of Alba
Longa, and the Latins met here whenever they had any
scheme in agitation against the Romans; but it was also
here that Romulus caused lustrations to be performed for
purifying the Latin cities, after the murder of the ambassa*-
dor from Laurentum, and that of Tatius which was the
consequence of the former:
Lucius Mnraena, Caius Marius, and probably many other
Romans, had villas here, if we may judge from the nu-
merous vestiges of antiquity still remaining. Amongst others
is a ruined building of considerable elevation in the midst
of the wood, which possibly was the temple of Ferentina^.
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138
Tliere are many subterraneous passages and grottos, in one
of which was found the celebrated bas re'Z/e/' representing the
apotheosis of Homer, now in the possession of Prince Colonna;
one of tlie most interesting and most beautiful pieces of
sculpture left to us by the ancients. It is supposed to have
belonged to the Emperor Claudius Coesar, who is well
known to have been a learned Grecian, though deficient in
the talents necessary for governing an empire; and these
subterraneous buildings were perhaps a part of his villa.
The road from Castel Gandolpho to Marino is strikingly
beautiful along the banks of the lake. To the right appear
the many noble objects which ornament its opposite border;
and, to the left, an immense plain, in which the city of Rome
is conspicuous, and the cupola of St. Peter, with other dis-
tinguished buildings, attract the eye more particularly.
Approaching to Marino is a delightful wood, the progeny
of that formerly sacred to Feronia; at the extremity of it
are rocks, whence a view of the town, consisting of a chain
of houses at the summit of a hill, is completely enjoyed.
From the rocks gushes a stream of water, which falls mur-
muring down the hill in different channels; and there is a
picturesque fountain (often painted by Caspar Poussin),
where the women of the neighbourhood are continually
washing, and add much animation to the scene.
The situation of this little town is indeed extremely romantic
?ind pleasing, from the variety of hills, quarries, and woods,
surrounding it. The name is said to come from Marius, who,
as we have observed, had a country-house here. It now
belongs as a fief to Prince Colonna, chief of that ancient
£a.mily, and high constable of the kingdom of Naples. His
139
jpaTace occupies one side of a square, in the midst of whidia
is a fountain. It is an ancient building, and the apartments-
are not well distributed, but they are filled vvith paintings;,
amongst which the following appear to be most worthy
observation l
A fine landscape, by Claude;
A view of Grotta Ferrata, by Caspar Poussinv
'•'A study from nature, and another small landscape, by
Claude.
A fine head of St. Cecilia, by DomenichinOj in his best
manner; remarkable for the gracefulness of the attitude.
The birth of the Virgin, by Barocci, in the manner of the-
Caraccis.
A saint, in the habit of a mm, kneeling before an altar, ^
very pleasing figure, by Carlo Maratti.
St. Charles Borromeo, with other figures,, a sketch, by
Carlo Maratti.
An assumption of St. Cecilia, by Raphael,, in his first
manner. The figure of the saint is gox)d, as are those of the
angels who carry her organ, and a. sword the instrument of
her martyrdom. '' "''' • •/ •
Two women presenting fruit to a shepherd, by Rubens..
A saint, by Gerardo della Notte.
Two iieads on the same canvas, by Caraccis
Two small portraits, by Tintoret; one of himself^ the other
of a lady. C{ iyrjy :
A landscape^ with historical figures, by Perugin dai
Siena. r. jfu i
140
In a lower room are portraits of the whole series of popes;
and those of many other celebrated personages are to be
seen in the different apartments. From the windows are
seen numerous little hills with towns and casties, forming,
.altogether, a very entertaining prospect.
In this palace, about the year 1490, was born the cele-
brated Vittoria Colonna, one of the most distinguished
women who ever existed. She was the daughter of the high
constable, Fabrizzio Colonna, and of Anna of Montefeltro,
daughter of Frederic, Duke of Urbino. Vittoria, at four
years of age, was destined to Ferdinand Francis d*Avalos,
Marquis of Pescaro, -and at seventeen was married to him,
having refused, on his account, the offers of many; amongst
'whom were two or three sovereigns, captivated by her
beauty and accomplishments. The Marquis d'Avalos was
a man of singular merit, and performed many great actions,
Ti>eir union was peculiarly happy till he was taken prisoner
in the battle of Ravenna, in the year 1512; and, in 1525,
he died of the wounds he received in that of Pavia, when
Francis the First was taken prisoner by the imperialists.
After the loss of her husband, Vittoria lived for some time
at Naples, in great retirement, or in the island of Ischia.
She never ceased to lament him, and refused many propo-
sals which were made her for a second marriage. Her only
consolation seems to have been poetry, in which she exer-
cised her genius with the greatest success, choosing subjects
relative to the death of her beloved D'Avalos, or the
consolations offered by a religious hope. She kept up a
friendship with the principal men of letters of her time in
Italy, amongst whom are particularly to be distinguished
141
Cardinals Bembo, Pole, and Gontarini; and she passed the
fetter part of her life chiefly at Rome, beloved and respected
by all who knew her. She died in that city in Februaryy 1547»
The cathedral of Marino, dedicated to St. Barnabas^ is
a handsome church. Over the high-altar is the martyrdom
of the saint, by Guercino. The moment represented is that
in which the executioners are tying St. Barnabas to the
stake, while others are lighting a fire to burn him; the
figures of the guards in the ba<;k-ground are by the scholars
of Guercino, and much inferior to the group of the saint.
In a chapel to the left is another altar-piece by Guercino,
and it is certainly one of the finest paintings of that master.
The subject of it is the martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, who
is seen tied to a stake in the form of a cross, while two
executioners are beginning to flay him: he has the appear-
ance of the greatest resignation and confidence in Heaven;
one of his arms rests composedly on the first executioner's
shoulder : but the most pleasing part of the picture is an
angel in the sky, beckoning to the suffering saint. This
figure is well painted, and relieves the mind from the
tlistress occasioned by the horrid sight which first meets the
-eye. A group of cherubims attends the angel, and the rest
of the canvas is filled up by guards, one of whom is a figure
of considerable merit.
On the feast of the titular saint his chapel is elegantly
ornamented with natural and artificial flowers, disposed in
garlands, forming the sweetest effect imaginable: the people
of this country are singularly happy in the execution of
these tasteful decorations.
Saint Barnabas having perished by fire, his image is sup-
U2
posed to be peculiarly efficacious to prevent the destructioit
of houses by that element; and, as the cottages in this part
of Italy are chiefly composed of the straw of Indian wheat,
and, of course, very combustible, it is usual to see the print,
taken from the picture which adorns the high-altar of this
church, pasted on the doors of them as a preservative-
against fire.
The church of the Trinity deserves notice, on account of"
a fine picture, by Guido, over the high-altar: the subject,,
though undoubtedly too awful for representation, is as welL
delineated as it is possible; and certainly the composition
and effect are admirable. The Father Eternal with the
dead Saviour on his knees, and the Dove, coming down oa
his breast, forms a group perfectly harmonious: while, at the
same time, it is painted with a contrast of colouring not
\isually found in combination with the delicacy of GuidoV
manner.
The road from Marino to Frascatif anciently Tusculuniy.
passes through Grotta Ferrata, a village which belongs to a.
monastery of Basilians.
X
iiiiijL itli»vr.
143
GROTTA FERRATA.
CICERO'S TUSCULANUM.
1 HERE is great reason to suppose that Cicero's villa, near
Tusculuni, was situated on the spot where is now the monas-
tery of Grotta Ferrata.
A marble altar or table, supported by the statues of
several divinities of elegant workmanship, was found by the
monks in the year IdOO; and Cicero, in his letter to Fabius
Gallus, speaks of a similar ornamental piece of sculpture
of which he is anxious to become the possessor. He also>
in one of his letters to Atticus, mentions a hermathena, or
statue of Minerva and Mercury united, which he intends to
remove from his villa at Formiae to that of Tusculum. A
statue of this description was found at Grotta Ferrata, and^
as well as the trapexophoron^ given to Cardinal Pamfili, who
placed it, with many other interesting pieces of sculpture, in'
his villa near Porta San Pancrazio at Rome, now in the
possession of Prince Doria.
o.This delightful villa, the scene of Cicero's Tusculan ques-
tions, and the place where he wrote most of his best philoso-
phical works, appears to have been as much his favourite, as
that possessed by Horace, in the neighbourhood of Tivoli, was
the chief delight of that poet. Cicero used here to assemble
his literary friends, and he was near enough not to lose
5
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14-4
sight of the affairs of Rome, while he indulged in the beauties
of the country, and in the society of men whose way of
thinking and occupations were most congenial to him.
Indeed this situation, though not altogether so romantic as
that of Tivoli, may boast of charms not inferior to those so
often celebrated by the poets; but they are charms of a
milder and less striking lustre, and, consequently, more
adapted to the philosopher than the poet. The valley of
Grotta Ferrata has not the bold features of that of Tivoli,
but all the rural beauties are united in a space of three
miles in length, through which passes the little stream called
the " Marrana,'' formerly the " Aqua Crabra." There are
visible remains of an ancient aqueduct; and the vine, the
olive, and plants, shrubs, and flowers, of every denomination,
contribute to adorn the place. The Alban mountain forms
a noble back-ground, and the sun setting in the waves of the
Mediterranean adds a calm dignity to the prospect, which
can much easier be felt than described..
Various little cascades are formed by this stream, and the
Avater is as salubrious as it is beautiful. Paper, iron, and
corn-mills,, with a few cottages, are the only buildings to be
seen in the valley; these cottages are formed of the straw of
Indian wheat: in the enclosure round them is an oven of
masonry; each cottage has a little vineyard, a. kitchen-
garden, and a spot reserved for a few flowers, which serve to
ornament the church on feast days. The peasants who
inhabit them read and writer they are good and industrious;
and scarcely ever a crime is committed in this valley. The
monks, who are their landlords,, are very kind to them, and
they are grateful. When Cardinal Rerronico, nephew of
145
Pope Clement XIII. was commendatory abbot of the mo-
riastery, he used to visit them frequently, and hear the
children say their prayers. They have neither locks nor
bolts to their doors; and, unless ilhiess obliges them to have
recourse to the charity of their landlords, live with great
comfort and independence. A piece of ground, sufficient
for all the above-mentioned comforts, may be hired for the
value of seven shillings a-year.
The monastery is situated on the summit of the h'nl which
forms one side of the valley. It has a large plain before it,
and an avenue of elms which leads to the wood of Montalto,
through which is the road to Frascati, one mile distant from
Grotta Ferrata. There are a few houses in this plain, which
are occupied in the autumnal months by Villeggianti. His
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex passed a summer in
one of them. The air is perfectly good, and the climate
delightful.
The monastery bears still the aspect of what it once was,
a fortress; and it is entered by a bridge leading to a gate, on
which are helmets, shields, and other trophies in bas relief.
The freqtifinf disputes between the abbots of this monastery
and the reigning popes made it necessary for them, as
well as the barons, to convert their houses into places of
defence.
This monastery was founded by a Calabrian named Bar-
tholemew, a disciple of St. Nile, and afterwards canonized.
He, as well as most of the inhabitants of that part of Italy,
followed the rites of the Greek church, and seeing his
country laid waste by Agarens, an Arab, with a large body
of Saracens under his command, in the year 1000, he selected
u
U6
sixty monks of his own brdcr, which was that of Saint Basil,
and came into Laiium, where he fixed on this place for his
residence; and having dwelt for some time in a grotto, at
lensfth obtained donations from the Counts. of Tusculum to
so great an amount, that he was enabled to erect this
monastery, capable of containing a hundred monks, and
became the first abbot and archimandrite of it» Great
privileges were granted to it by the popes and emperors of
those early ages, and a revenue of 60,000 crowns assigned for
its maintenance.
Wlien the division took place between the Greek and
Roman churches, the number of monks gradually decreased;
and the secular princes resumed possession of great part of
the revenues of the monastery, till, in the year 1462, Pius II.
new modelled it into its present form of an abbey, with an
administrator. The first invested with this dignity was thq
learned Cardinal Bessarion, a monk of the same order; and
to bim it became indebted for the recovery of many of its
privileges and possessions.
The house is very considerable, and not less commodious.
The library is furnisKed with a good collection of books, and
was formerly rich in manuscripts, but those, in the year l6l4,
were given to the Vatican library.
The palace of the abate comendatario^ as the administrator
is called, has in it large and well-proportioned rooms. The
exterior of this part of the buildmg is Gothic. The revenues
of this employment, which is always given to a cardinal, and
visually, when there is a vacancy, to the nephew of the
reigning pope, amount to 8000 crowns. The cardinal's bed-
chamber is painted in fresco: the subject, the destruction of
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147
Tusculum, and flight of the inhabitants from the ravages of
Barbarossa. Two small drawings represent dinners given
by Cardinal Barberini, nephew of Urban VIII. to Christina
of Sweden, and James II. In the other apartments are
several pictures in which Pope Rerronico is introduced,
particularly in that of the port of civita vecchia, with many
other figures, on a small scale, by Lacroix. On the ground
floor is a neglected suite of rooms, the ceiling of one of which
is painted in Arabeschi, by Zuccheri. There are two doors
of communication from this palace to the monastery, which
has the appearance of a far more elegant and commodious
building. From the windows of the cancdlaria is a noble
view of Rome and the " Campagna."
The church of this monastery is most interesting on
account of the fine paintings of Domenichino, which adorn
the chapel of St. Nile.
The first represents the saint, at the head of his community,
embracing the Emperor Otho III. The moment chosen by
the painter is that in which the emperor having asked St.
Nile what he desired of him, he answered, " Nothing but to
see his majesty a good Christian :" a fine figure of a young
man holding the horse from which Otho is just dismounted,
is supposed to be the portrait of Domenichino. The next
picture is usually esteemed the best in the chapel, and is
indeed a wonderful representation of nature, in one of its
most awful moments. The saint is supposed to be curing a
child of eonvulsions by his prayers. His venerable figure
is seen kneeling, while another monk puts into the child's
mouth a di*op of oil, taken from a. lamp which is burning
17 2
146 ,
before a picture of the Virgin. The mother of the child;
praying to this image, is also a most interesting figure.
Over the altar is a Trinity, by Caracci. It is a good
picture, but seems placed there to evince the superiority
of his scholar, Domenichino; who has painted, in the cupola
and round the altar, several figures in attitudes of adoration,
and with great success. Some of the countenances are
exquisitely beautiful.
The first fresco, on the farthest side of the chapel next to
the altar, represents the Virgin appearing to St. Nile, and the
following painting the erection of the monaster}^: an architect
shews the plan to the saint, while labourers, in different
attitudes, begin the work. The last subject is the saint, on
the foreground of a delightful landscape^ stopping, by his
prayers, the rain which annoyed the harvest. The purity of
design and correctness of proportion in these frescos, are
unequalled in the history of the arts. The compositions are
grand, and clearly expressive of the subjects, and artists
cannot have a better study. The outlines are executed in a
very remarkable manner:- — they seem engraved; the strokes
sinking deep into the wall.
In the body of the church, which is decorated with much
neatness and elegance, is, however, nothing very interesting;
The sacristy is a good room filled with handsome dresses and
ornaments. The service is performed in Greek; and the
Missal and Book of Psalms, printed in that language with
accents, are read and sung by the monks according to the
modern pronunciation. They are chiefly Calabrians of
respectable families; their hospitality is great; and on ths
149
8th of September, the day of the Madonna, when a fair is
held under the elms before the abbey, they entertain some of
the first nobility of Rome with great propriety. In the court
of the monastery are then erected shops and booths, where
Imen, shoes, fans, and trinkets are sold: little arbours are
formed of branches of trees, (in which art the people
of Frascati excel,) and others, of a larger dimension, for
dinner parties in the meadow: horses, oxen, and, indeed,
cattle of all descriptions, are brought hither to be sold; and
the meadow is filled with company of all ranks, whose
various dresses, with the picturesque appearance of the place
in general, compose a scene of the most agreeable and cheer-
ful nature. Music is always introduced on these occasions,
and at night the lamps, placed on the different tables where
the people are assembled in convivial parties, sparkle between
the trees, and give an appearance of festivity which is truly
delightful. Between ten and eleven in the morning of the
great day, (for most of the people assemble on the eve,)
high-mass is sung in Latin, as well as Greek, by the regular
father abbot of the monastery with a mitre and crosier, which
he has the right of wearing on this occasion: his dress, and
those of the other officiating priests, are magnificent. The
abbey is in the diocese of Cardinal York, as Bishop of
Frascati.
The " Aqua Crabra,'' now called the Marrana, which
passes through the valley at the foot of the monastery of
Grotta Ferrata, is another motive for believing this to
have been really the place where Cicero's villa stood. He
speaks with so much enthusiasm of this stream, and of
150
the advantages resulting from its vicinity, that it cannot
be supposed that his house was situated at so great a
distance from it, as some antiquaries must have beheved,
when they placed it on Monte Tusculo. Sylla, the dictator,
as we are informed by Pliny, possessed this villa, which was
afterwards purchased by Cicero.
ji
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151
ROCCA DEL PAPA;
ANCIENTLY,
FORUM POPULI, AND MOUNT ALBANO,
JtvoccA DEL Papa*' is four miles distant from Grotta
Ferrata. The road to it is tolerably good, having been
repaired by Prince Doria, who resides there part of the
summer, on account of the coolness and purity of the air.
It leads through a wood of chesnut trees, in which there are
some very picturesque spots.
Near the entrance of the town is a convent, with a church
dedicated to the Madonna. It belongs to friars of the order
del riscatto; so denominated from their being instituted for
the purpose of ransoming slaves in Barbar}'. Their founder
was a king of Spain, whose arms they wear on a scapular^' :
they style themselves, for this reason, a royal and military
order, and their superior is called commendatore ; but they
live in the most wretched manner, and have scarcely any
thing to eat. They receive travellers very civill}^ and
allow them to spread their table either in the garden or in
the vestibule. Beneath their convent, whence the view is
astonishingly fine, is the place where, during the winter, the
young women of Rocca del Papa, who are very handsome,
employ themselves in collecting ice, which they shovel into
152
a Iray, and the young' men assist them in placing it on their
head: they dress themselves to the best advantage for this
occupation, which takes them up three hours every day while
the winter lasts, and they have their food with a paul a day
(five-pence) for their reward. The friars enjoy this scene
from their windows, and describe it as very agreeable.
The people of Rocca del Papa are, in general, industrious,
and the salubrity of the air gives them a freshness of colour,
and cheerfulness of look, which are very pleasing. The
wine of this place is far from strong, but is much esteemed
for mixing with water.
. The town has a most singular appearance. Seated on the
steep ascent of the mountain, the houses seem to stand one
on the roof of the other. There is but one street which can
be properly so called: the rest more resemble steps cut out
of the rock, and are very difficult of access. There are three
churches. This place took its modern name from the im-
prisonment of one of the popes here by the Colonnas.
MONTE CAVO, MONS ALBANUS.
Ascending from this place to the summit of Mb?? ^c Cavo,
anciently Mo?is Albanus, at the distance of little more than a
mile, the traveller follows a most difficult path over rocks,
whence the views are surprisingly extensive and beautiful;
the lake of Albano appearing at his feet. Above La Rocca
are the ruins of some Gothic buildings, and the peasants
suppose them to have been once a fortress; which is highly
probable, from the many advantages of the situation. The
road now opens into a large plain nearly enclosed by a
circular chain of mountains, amongst which the most remark-
153
able is Mount Algidum, This place bears the name of the
plains of Hannibal^ as it iS imagined to be the spot whence
that general pointed out to his army the city of Rome, and
promised to his officers, for the ensuing evening, a supper
in the capitol: others place it lower.
From this plain we ascend a most enchanting road shaded
by a variety of trees, and particularly by oaks and laurels.
It leads winding up to the summit of the mountain. This
road is of the time of the republic, and near the summit is
in perfect preservation: it commences round that part of the
hill nearest Albano, and is composed of large flat stones sup-
ported, on each side, by a pavement about a foot higher:
it is broad enough for the passage of a modern carriage : in
many parts of it are seen engraved the two letters V. and N.,
which antiquaries interpret Via Numinis, (the road of the
Deity.)
Hither the Roman conquerors used to come a few days
after their triumph, to offer up a sacrifice of thanks in the
temple of Jupiter Latialis; and those who, after having
gained a victory, could not obtain from the senate the de-
cree which entitled them to the honour of a triumph, often
made one at their own expence in this place, followed by
their army, with a pomp equal to that of Rome.
This temple of Jupiter was the object of general vene-
ration: in the first times of the republic the different states
of Latium sent annually hither deputies to renew their
league of amity, and offer up a sacrifice to Jupiter. On a
stated day they met in this place, and each deputy partook
of the victim. The Romans considered it as the chief object
of their devotion after the capitol; and prodigies supposed
154
to happen here were expiated with the most rigorous siiper^
stition. That singular appearances should strengthen their
behef in such wonders is not astonishing, when we consider
the volcanic nature of this celebrated mountain. The Alban
lake was the crater of a volcano, and the accounts given by
Livy and other historians of its having rained stones, and
other similar phaenomena on Mount Albano, are as easy to
be explained by a naturalist, as the death of Acis and other
mythological events, the scene of which was the neighbour-
hood of Mount Etna.
Arriving at the summit of Monte Cavo, it is impossible not
to experience sensations at once awful and delightful; the
recollection of the important events which led the masters of
the world to offer up at this place their homage to the
Deity, is assisted by the great quantity of laurels still growing
here.
It is a small plain belonging to an order of friars called
Passionisti, who subsist well on the charity of the circum-
jacent towns and villages^ Their dress is black with a large
red cross on their breast, and they are under the protection of
Cardinal York, who assisted them in building a new church,
in the year 1784. Their convent is a building of considerable
size, and opposite to it is a stone table shaded by two fine
chesnut trees; this is supposed to have been the place of the
altar of Jupiter, as it is in the centre of the plain, and great
part of a circular wall of some extent is yet visible, and was,
no doubt, that of the ancient temple. On the ground were
seen several fragments of cornices of good sculpture; and,
when we were on the hill, the masons were employed in
making a shell for holy water out of part of an antique altar..
155
• There are two moments in which this^pot is more peculiarly
interesting. One, on a clear day, when the eye can enjoy
the most extensive and the sublimest view that is known
in the papal dominions. It takes in a vast tract of country,
and a large portion of the Mediterranean, with the various
objects which render this scene one of the noblest in the
world. It almost extends to the Adriatic, and comprehends
part of the Neopolitan territory, with a long chain of the
Appenines. , hnn
The other moment, though not so beautiful, has in it
something extraordinary and awful that is truly deserving of
observation. It is, however, frequently a great disappoint-
ment to many travellers. A mist covers the whole of the
prospect below, and the circular plain alone is visible to the
person who has ascended the hill in search of the view. It
has then the appearance of an island in the midst of an
immense lake, or of an edifice seated on the clouds. This
mist scarcely ever extends its influence to a great distance.
It appears, when seen from Albano, or any other town on the
borders of the lake, in the form of a cloud which cuts across
the upper part of the mountain, and is an indication of
future rain. This gives rise to the expression, ^^ Monte cavo
ha il capello — piovera:" — "The mountain has put on his hat —
it will rain:" an expression which, probably, comes from the
ancient Komans, as there is a mountain in France corruptedly
called Mont Pila, from Mons Ftkatus, the Roman name,
given to it on account of its frequently appearing with this
cloud across or above the summitj. /.^ ,j,jj ^/^
tjaA}};^MWW }R.i^h}}^^ ^^^. is. pq^, 0^17. pleasing to the
> X 2
156
painter and antiquary, but affords specimens of many cu-
rious volcauic productions to the mineralogist.
The ferice Latince were annual meetings of the states df
Latiuni with the Romans, Hernici, and A^okcians, established
by Tarquin the Proud, who was desirous, by this arrange-
ment, to make himself master of these several nations, and
was too good a politician not to understand the use of festivals
and banquets.
Forty-seven cities partook of this feast, and each contri-
buted its portion by sending lambs, cheeses, milk, or other
provisions.. The common victim was an ox, a portion of
which was given to the deputy of each town, the Romans
presiding at the sacrifice.
Only two communities of the Volscians, the Antiates, and
the Echetrani, consented to join this assembly.
The name of ferice, which properly implies holidays, has
remained to public meetings of a different nature, called by
the Italians^ere, and by us fairs.
As there was not space sufficient for so numerous a com-
pany on the summit of Mount Albano, it is probable these
fericB were held in the spacious plain, above described, under
the name of the f elds of Hannibal, although the bull might
be sacrificed at the temple of Jupiter Latialis, and the 47
deputies might partake of it there. The plain is about three
miles in circumference, and produces excellent pasturage:
the mountains encircling it are covered with trees, and the
oaks are some of the finest in this country.
On the side of the Alban mountain stood a temple of
Juno Moneta, erected by Caius Cicereius, in consequence
157
of a vow he made in Corsica, where he gained a considerable
victory in the year of Rome 578, destroying 7000 of the
enemy, and taking 1700 prisoners. This temple was com-
pleted in 583, and was afterwards supposed miraculously to
turn from the east to the north. It was not large, but ap-
pears to have been held in great veneration.
158
TUSCULANUM OF LUCULLUS.
Avenues of fine elms intermixed with some plane-trees,
not unworthy of being supposed to descend from those of
Lucullus, lead from Grotta Ferrata to Frascati through the
wood of Villa Montalto; but there is a more public road
equally good, though less shady. One of these planes
spreads its shadowy branches over a rustic fountain not far
from the monastery, and is a most beautiful tree.
There is reason to believe that wine thrown on the roots
of plane-trees, is really productive of the best consequences,
with regard to the strength and beauty of their vegetation.
At Pegli, near Genoa, on remarking two of these trees which
shaded the garden-front of the noble villa belonging to the
late Exdoge Lomellini, he informed us, that he had formerly
many of them, but these two alone were preserved, when
all the rest near them decayed and perished ; because, being
planted near the eating-room, the servants casually threw
on their roots, after every meal, the wine remaining in the
bottles. As these libations could not be very copious, and
yet produced the effect above related, we may easily give
credit to what we are told, by ancient authors, with respect
to Lucullus in this particular: he might well sacrifice to the
good of his favourite plane-trees a few measures of wine, in
a country where it is always in great abundance.
159
The taste and magnificence of this illustrious Roman were
peculiarly visible in his country houses, and it appears that
lie had a predilection for his villa at Tusculum. Many
antiquaries have supposed that the grounds annexed to it
extended over a prodigious space of territory; but, as we
have before observed, the Romans had not, in those ages,
an idea of building such enormous palaces as those now
inhabited by their descendants; neither did they take in
such extensive tracts of country as form the enclosures of
our modern parks. Luxury was making rapid strides when
Lucullus returned from Asia, and he was at the head of its
votaries; but there yet remained so much of the ancient
simplicity of manners, that every new structure excited con-
siderable astonishment, and expressions, which we should
now think exaggerated, were employed to describe the villas
of Lucullus.
We, therefore, believe that modern antiquarians have im-
properly affixed his name to the numerous vestiges of noble
structures, which are to be seen in the neighbourhood of .
Frascati; they seem to conclude, that his possessions com-
prehended the whole country now occupied by that city and
its circumjacent villas; which must be considered as impos-
sible, when we reflect that many other distinguished Romans-
had residences near Tusculum at the same period.
We do not find that it was the custom of those days to give
any particular appellation to a country house. The princi-
pal Romans had many villas which they inhabited according
to the different seasons or circumstances which led them
to a preference: they were called by the name of the
place, added to that of the master, as the Tiisculamim of
160
Cicero, of Crassus, of Lucullus, the Albanum oi Pompey, of
Clodius, (Sec.
It does not appear that Pompey had so many of these
houses as men of his rank and fortune were, at that time,
accustomed to possess and inhabit; neither liad Juhus Caesar,
nor afterwards Mark Antony, though, undoubtedly, not from
principles of economy, but because they had httle time, and
perhaps still less taste, for retirement and soUtude. Pompey 's
house and gardens, near Alba, were eminently beautiful, but
his mode of life was far from ostentation; and when he
blamed Lucullus for making his villa at Tusculum totally
unfit for a winter habitation, though so delightful for summer,
on account of its galleries, apartments open on every side for
the different prospects, airy walks, and lofty terraces, Lucul-
lus smiled at his not recollecting that he had other dwellings
for that season, and asked him, why he thought him less
provident than the cranes and storks, which change their
climate according to the seasons.
It cannot be doubted that this house excelled all others
known at that time for taste, rich furniture, plate, fine orna-
ments, paintings, and statues of exquisite workmanship, and,
above all, a well-chosen and very considerable library. The
cellars were also celebrated for their extent, and for the
variety and excellence of the wines they contained.
Lucullus had not less an inclination for hospitality than
the power of gratifying it: he seems to have known perfectly
how to choose his society; and if the excess of luxury were
ever pardonable, it would have been in this instance.
The character given of him by Cicero is so attractive, that,
were we not on our guard against the charms of oratory, we
161
should have reason to beheve him something superior to
human nature; but we may venture to conclude, that he was
a man of refined manners, elegant learning, great Hberality,
unsullied reputation, and superior genius. With these dis-
tinguished endowments, when he did the honours of a table
at which were seated Pompej, Caesar, Crassus, and Cicero;
when the accomplished, though afterwards reprehensible,
Servilia appeared as mistress of the house; when the most
learned and most polished Greeks and Asiatics added the
lighter graces of conversation to the solid reasoning of the
masters of the world, and to that energy of expression which
proceeds alone from great and active minds, our imagination
can scarcely conceive an idea of higher perfection in social
intercourse. We know that the favourite villa of Lucullus
was his Tusculanum, we may therefore justly suppose that
nothing could be more enchanting than the fabric, the
gardens, and the situation.
The people of Rome were so much attached to Lucullus,
that they wished to perform his obsequies in the field of
Mars; but as every thing had been prepared for his interment
at Tusculum, where a tomb was erected for him, his brother
prevailed on the people to allow his ashes to be there
deposited, and survived him only a short time.
His gardens remained the wonder and delight of all who
visited them, and Plutarch says that even in his time, (in the
reign of Trajan,) when luxury was at the highest, they were
considered as equal in beauty to any then known: — they
were probably far superior as to taste and elegance; for we
know that these qualities, the characteristics of the age in
which Lucullus lived, were lost in the pomp and splendour
- 162
which pervaded Rome and its environs during the reigns of
} the emperors.
Considerable vestiges af porticos, grottos, and other
buildings, in which inscriptions with the name of LucuUus
have been found, occur frequently between Marino and Monte
Porzio, above Frascati; but it is impossible to distinguish
how much of these buildings belonged to Lucullus, or to
discover how many other dwellings were erected on the
ruins of his villas, or near them, during the course of so
many centuries.
163
TUSCULUM.
FRASCATI, AND ITS ENVIRONS.
1 uscuLUM, distant about twelve miles from the capital,
was one of the principal and most ancient cities of Latium.
Its founder was Telegonus, son of Ulysses and Circe, as most
of the poets and historians inform us. This Telegonus is
said to have killed his father, not knowing who he was;
and Horace entitles Tusculum, " the hill of the parricide
Telegonus."
Situated on a considerable eminence, it was one of the
strongest cities of the Latins, and of such consequence, that
Tarquin the Proud, when expelled from Rome, gave his
daughter in marriage to Octavius Mamilius of Tusculum,
who was at that time considered as the principal person in
Latium, and a descendant of Telegonus. On the medals of
the Mamilian family, afterwards settled at Rome, we see on
one side a head of Mercury, and on the other Ulysses and
his faithful dog.
By this alliance Tarquin hoped to find not only a safe
asylum in the situation of the town, which was deemed
impregnable, but the means of recovering his kindom through
the influence of his son-in-law.
Mamilius, in compliance with his wishes, raised a very
considerable force for the purpose of reinstating the Tar-
y2
164
quins; but he was defeated by Aulus Postumius, at the lake
of Regillus, and the conquerors took and destroyed the city
of Tusculum, which however was rebuilt and became a
municipal town.
The Tusculans, after this event, w^ere steady allies of the
Romans. Jn the year of Rome 293, under the consulate of
P. Valerius Publicola and Caius Claudius, an insurrection
took place, during which 4500 slaves and exiles, headed by
Herdonius a Sabine, surprised the citadel and capitol, and
put to death all who would not join them. This happened
in the night, and when morning appeared, as they were in
possession of these strong holds, they endeavoured, by sedi-
tious harangues, to persuade the lower class of citizens and
all the slaves to unite with them, in what they called a
\ redress of grievances.
{ • The patricians, and all the respectable inhabitants of
; Rome, were greatly alarmed from an apprehension that the
1 rebels would be supported by assistance from Etruria and
I Sabina, and that the ^qui and Volscians, constant enemies of
1 the Romans, would avail themselves' of so favourable an
opportunity of attacking them. What rendered the moment
yet more critical was the obstinacy of the tribunes, who,
being at that time anxious to carry through the Agrarian
law, opposed the consuls in their desire to arm the people
and drive out the enemy; for they obliged the multitude to
remain in the forum, although Publius Valerius strenuously
asserted the necessity of first subduing the rebels; the tribunes
were pertinacious in their opposition, and great disputes
ensued between the patricians and plebeians.
While this internal contention rather augmented than
165
decreased, and the city was in the greatest confusion, the
news arrived at Tusculum late in the evening, and Lucius
Mamilius, who was dictator there, convoked the senate
immediately; he introduced the persons who brought the
intelligence, and earnestly requested that assistance might be
sent to Rome before legates could arrive from thence to
require it. With equal generosity and wisdom he repre-
sented the expediency of losing no time, nor suffering the
evil to increase by delay: he exhorted his countrymen to
raarch immediately to the aid of a city so nearly connected
with them, and so important from its power and vicinity:
and he spoke with energy of the social ties which united
them, and of the dangerous example that such an insurrection
afforded. His opinion was adopted; an army was enrolled
during the night, and by break of day it was perceived
marching towards Rome.
At first the approach of the Tusculan legion occasioned
some alarm, as it was mis^taken for the enemy; but as soon
as the truth was known, it was received with gratitude and
conducted to the forum, whither Valerius was gone, having
left his colleague to guard the gates. He had explained to
the people the fraud of their tribunes, and, being a popular
character and of a popular family, had formed a considerable
party, with which, now being aided by the Tusculans, he
marched up the Capitoline hill; there both generals drew
out their troops and harangued them, after which a battle
ensued, and the rebels were defeated. Valerius, fighting
amongst the headmost, was killed in the vestibule of the
temple of Jupiter Capitolinus; the place was recovered, and
those of the rebels who were taken alive were punished
166
according to the laws; their chief, Herdonius, lost his life in
the battle. The Tusculans received public thanks.
In the following year, 294, the uEqui took the castle of
Tusculum, and the Romans, mindful of the benefit so recently
received, felt nearly the same grief as for the taking of the
capitol. They instantly sent orders to Fabius, who was with
his army encamped before Antium; he lost no time, but,
leaving a small garison at Antium, marched to the relief of
Tusculum, allowing his soldiers only to take their weapons,
and the provisions which happened to be dressed. Supplies
were sent to him from Rome, by his colleague Cornelius.
Fabius divided his army into two parts; with one he
besieged the camp of the ^qui, and gave the other to the
Tusculans to assist them in recovering their castle; but the
place was too strong to be taken by force, and it was not till
some months after that the enemy was obliged by hunger
to surrender at discretion, and was sent under the yoke by
the Tusculans.
In the year 373, when the great Camillus defeated the
Volscians, at Satricum, a few Tusculans were found amongst
the prisoners, and being interrogated apart by the general,
declared that they were sent by the state to join the Volscians.
Camillus thought this intelligence too important not to be
immediately communicated to the senate; and the prisonei's
being introduced, and giving the same account there as they
had in the camp, it was decreed that war should be declared
against Tusculum, and the conduct of it given to Camillus,
allowing him the choice of a colleague. He named Lucius
Furius Medullinus, to whom he had before behaved with
singular generosity in return for improper treatment.
7
167
The two commanders marched with their army to invade
the territories of Tusculum ; but when they passed the con-
fines, they saw no one quit his work in the fields, none flj
from their country houses; when they approached the city,
they found the gates open, and the people, in robes of peace,
came out to meet them : provisions were brought them from
Tusculum, and from the neighbouring farms. Camillus
encamped without the walls, and walked into the town,
where he found the women and children in the streets as
in the time of profound peace, the shops open, the artisans
at work, and the schools resounding with the voices of the
children repeating their lessons. His hostile intentions were,
of course, subdued : and, convoking the senate, he told the
Tusculans, they had discovered the only method of protect-
ing themselves against the anger of the Romans, and allowed
them to send to Rome to plead their cause before the
fathers.
They sent their dictator, attended by some of their chief
citizens, and the senate, perceiving their grief in the vestibule,
received them rather with the hospitable kindness of old
friends, than the resentment of offended enemies.
The dictator made a speech, in which he threw himself
and his country on the mercy of the Romans, without endea-
vouring to palliate the fault objected to them. Peace was
granted, and shortly after the Tusculans obtained the free-
dom of the city.
There is no doubt that Tusculum occupied the hill, which
still has the same name, above Frascati; and, in the latter
times of the republic, it was surrounded by villas of the most
distinguished Roman families. The towa itself was, in those
]68
ages, splendidly adorned with temples, amphitheatres, and
every building that can afford comfort or excite admiration.
Vestiges of many of these edifices are still to be seen.
A valley, through which passed the consular road, entitled
the Via Latina, separated it from the Alban mountain. It
had, to the north, the view of Gabia, Labicum, Tibur, and
Praeneste; to the east, Ferentinum and Alba; to the south,
Rome and all Sabina; and, to the west, the sea-coast as far
as the promontory of Circe, and the Pontine islands.
The air of Tusculum was remarkably |)ure and cool ; but
modern Frascati, as it lies below the hill, is rather damp, on
account of the great quantity of water distributed into cas-
cades and fountains in the several villas, and tlie numberless
trees and shrubs whence it derives its name, /rosea, in Italian,
signifying the branch of a tree. It is consequently a delight-
ful summer residence, and in the autumn is, equally with
Albano, much frequented by villeggianti.
The streets of Frascati are even and neat; in the square is
the cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a large building,
but not remarkable for architecture or decoration. The
throne of Cardinal York, who is the bishop of the diocese,
is adorned with the arms of England. His palace, adjoining
to the church, has the appearance of a castle, and near it is
the seminary where he passes most of his time: this is a well-
built house, with a modern church, destined for the education
of young men who are intended for the ecclesiastical profes-
sion. There is also at Frascati an hospital, as well as several
• convents. The Jesuits had a residence here.
Cardinal York always lives in his diocese, and althouo-h as
chancellor he has u magnificent palace at Rome annexed to
169
liis office, he never inhabits it except for a few hours when
obhged to visit the metropohs on particular festivals.
The people of Frascati are courteous in their manners: the
women dress with great taste, in habits nearly resembling
those of the Albanese, and they are styled the Tuscans of
the Campagna. Tliis reputation of rural elegance often
introduces them into the comic dramas performed at Rome;
and, in many of the principal families of that city, they have
frascatane as nursery-maids.
One of the most celebrated poets of modern Italy, the
sublime Guidi, died at this place in 1712: he was born at
Pavia, on the 14th of June, 1650, and distinguished himself
by some of the finest lyric compositions which have been
known since the time of Pindar. He was buried at Rome,
in the church of Saint Onofrio, near the monument of Tasso,
by the care of Pope Clement XI., Albani.
Not long after his death, Frascati was honoured by the
birth of Metastasio, whose name, originally Trapasso^ was
changed by himself into Greek, as all unharmonious sounds
were disgusting to his feelings.
The facility of his versification, and his peculiar skill in
adapting the drama to the present style of musical composi-
tion, will transmit his name to posterity with that praise
which superior merit alone deserves; and his works will be
read and retained as long as moral sentiments, expressed in
harmonious numbers, can attract attention. He died at
Vienna, where he was poet of the court, towards the end of
the last century.
170
JMODERN VILLAS AT FRASCATI.
VILLA MONTALTO.
V iLLA MoNTALTO, built bj Pope Sixtus v., was aftenvards.
in the possession of the Savelli family, and now belongs to
the Duke of Bracciano. It has a delightful wood, whicli
joins the avenues of elms that lead to the monastery of
Grotta Ferrata. The house is large, and has in it some very
fine rooms: the ceilings are painted by good masters. One
of them represents Phaeton, with the rising sun at one end
of the room, and the setting sun at the other. In the
duchess's bed-chamber is a ceiling, chiefly consisting of
landscapes, said to be painted by Domenichino. In a small
room near it is a fine picture, by Caracci; the subject of
which is a saint scourging herself.
The ceiling of another apartment is by Caracci, and has an
excellent effect, the perspective being particularly good, witl>
a fine figure of Mercury.
On the second floor is a long gallery, painted by Pannini:
the subjects architecture, landscapes-, and statues in fresco.
The adjoining rooms are also painted by the same artist, who
was peculiarly happy in his taste for the decoration of villas.
There are some good flower-pieces by Rosa; a school of
children, and other entertaining pictures.
The gardens are agreeable, and have a considerable
171
orangerie annexed to them. The views are pleasing, as the
situation of this villa is peculiarly advantageous.
VILLA CAVALETTI.
Villa Cavaletti, on tlie upper road between Grotta
Ferrata and Frascati, is much neglected, and the casino has
in it nothing remarkable, but it deserves to be visited on
account of the extent and beauty of the prospect. It is also
an excellent place for catching birds. One of the great
amusements of the Romans, in the month of October, is the
Paratajo. They erect a little summer-house or arbour on an
eminence in their gardens or vineyards, before which nets are
spread with cages containing birds who call their passing
companions, and a person, seated in the arbour, draws the
net when he perceives his prey approaching: many hundreds
are caught in this way in the space of three or fbur hours.
The company sit in silence and take refreshments.
In the villas round Rome invitations are often given for
this species of amusement, and the late pope was particu-
larly fond of it ,
VILLA MUTI BUSSI.
This villa, in the midst of the wood below Frascati, con-
sists of a good house, with pleasing gardens filled with shady
walks and arbours; a great number of antique statues, bas
reliefs, and vases with flowers in abundance, render it a
delightful place: and it has been sometimes let to strangers.
Villa .Rospigliosi is also large and well situated.
The Duke of Mattei, and Baron Piccolomini, with others
of the Roman nobility, have handsome houses in this neigh-
bourhood.
z2
172
VILLA FALCONIERL
Villa Falconiehi, otherwise called La Rufina, as it is^
said formerly to have belonged to a family of that name now-
extinct, is a pleasing residence. The gardens are delightful,
forming various recesses overshadowed by the most pic-
turesque trees. The house is of elegant architecture, and
is entered by a portico which leads to a hall of good propor-
tion. The ceiling, by Ciroferri, represents Aurora in her car;
beyond it is a small room with a fountain in the middle: the
view from it is very fine, and in all these apartments there
are excellent pictures.
The farthest room is painted like a grove; little Cupids are
seen flying amongst the branches and holding garlands of
flowers. 4 v^^y large oval table, of the finest verd antique,
adds to the coolness of its appearance; and, round three
of the sides of this room, as it is at the extremity of the build-
ing, is an open gallery which commands an extensive view
of the country: this villa is situated on an eminence con-
siderably above the tow^n of Frascati.
In some of the rooms are various comic figures, caricatures,.
by Ghezzi, in fresco: they were painted by the order of
Sig, Orazio Falconicri, the former proprietor of the house,
and represent several prelates and noblemen of his acquaint-
ance, among whom he has taken care to introduce his owa
portrait. In the upper apartments are many fine pictures;,
a head by Titian, and one by Guercino, the good Samaritan,
two landscapes by Amorosini, concerts of music, a sketch
of a Baccante and centaur by Caracci^ and some good
Albanos.
lliil,
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illiite'/'rl'
II :
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173
LA RUFINELLA.
Still higher is the Rtifinella, a large house built in the
simplest style, with a considerable plantation of pines, and
vineyards adjoining to it. This place was formerly the
habitation of the Roman Jesuits in spring and autumn; and
here some of the greatest literary characters of the last
century delighted to rest from severer studies, and unbend
their minds in the composition of lighter works. The public
has hence derived the advantage of numberless poetical
pieces, as well as tracts in prose, explanatory of the different
remains of antiquity in this neighbourhood.
Here have been found many interesting inscriptions, fine
ftiosaicks, and a sun-dial of the time of the second Scipio
Africanus, explained by Pere Jacquier, the celebrated com-
mentator of Newton.
VILLA CONTI.
Villa Conti, formerly Ludovisi, was erected by Pope
Gregory XV. An immense flight of steps (more expensive
than ornamental) leads to the upper part of the gardens,
where is a labyrinth of water which produces a very fine
effect, and there are also several smaller fountains. The
walks are shady, and the prospects delightful.
The house has in it excellent apartments, chiefly painted
in fresco, with the additional ornaments of statues, and some
antique busts of considerable merit. This villa belongs to
the Duke di Poli, of the ancient family of Conti; so called,
from their being counts of Tusculura as far back as the 9th
century.
174
VILLA ALDOBRANDINL
Neah Villa Conti is Villa Aldobrandini, one of the most
beautiful places in Italy, with respect to situation and
ornamental architecture. It was built by Cardinal Peter
Aldobrandini, nephew of Pope Clement VIII.
The palace is magnificent. In the gallery is a ceiling, by
Cavalier d'Arpino, in three compartments. 1st. Adam com-
manded not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree; — 2d. Adam
tempted by Eve to transgress the command; — 3d. Adam and.
Eve driven out of Paradise. In an adjoining room, David
and Goliah by the same master; and, in another, Judith
returning from the tent of Holofernes.
A long terrace accompanies the palace, and at each end
of it is a high turret with a fountain beneath it. In the
centre of the building is a fine saloon, which commands,
from the front windows, a noble view of Rome and the
circumjacent country; and, from a balcony at the opposite
extremity, a no less pleasing, though less extensive, prospect
of the gardens, which are laid out in a manner nearly resem-
bling those of Villa Conti, and occupy a considerable portion
of the hill.
Fronting the balcony is a semicircular building, with a room
on each side, adorned by two beautiful antique bas reliefs.
The crescent has in it three fountains and several statues.
To the right is a centaur blowing a marine trumpet; and to
the left, the god Pan playing on the Arcadian flute. In the
midst is Atlas, assisted by Herculus, supporting the globe.
A water-organ produces the sounds indicated by the attitudes
of the figures of Pan and the centaur. In one of the lateral
3
175
rooms is a staircase leading to the terrace, where is a cascade
falling down steps, and two twisted columns. On each side
of this cascade are other steps that conduct the traveller to a
second fountain, whence he successively reaches two more;
all of which gradual ascents compose a picturesque view
for the palace. Several statues ornament the place, but
the variety of evergreen oaks, plane-trees, cypresses, and
larch-trees, in the back-ground, intermixed with the
water and architecture, form the principal charm of the
prospect.
Arrived at the summit, it is impossible not to be delighted
with the rural walks and extensive view of the country, that
produce an effect on the mind entirely different from that
experienced in the more ornamented part of the grounds,
but by no means less agreeable. Here the Capucin convent
appears nearly opposite, and several villas embosomed in
the trees, or rising a little above them,, animate and diversify
the scene.
The late Prince Aldobrandini, Don Paolo Borghese, to-
whom this villa belonged, as he advanced in age became
fearful of inhabiting it, on account of the humidity occa-
sioned by the ^reat quantity of water, and the woods that
almost overhang the palace: he, therefore, fitted up a casino
in the town of Frascati, and, as he was a man of great taste,
who had travelled much^ he furnished it with every thing
modern that could render it comfortable to himself, and
agreeable to his visitors: fine woods, prints, and paintings by
living artists, added to uncommon neatness and elegance in-
the hangings and furniture, distinguished this his fiivonrite
residence. In the attic was a trellis, adorned with valuable-
176
'China vases filled with flowers; and from this place was to
be enjoyed the best view of Villa Aldobi-aodini.
The estates of this family fell to that of Borghese, on
condition that they should belong to the second brother,
who was to assume the name annexed to them. At the
death of the above-mentioned nobleman, as he left no
children, they devolved on his nephew Don Tito, uncle of
the present Prince Borghese.
Amongst the many Romans who are partial to the English
nation, no one was more attentive to our travellers than the
venerable Prince Aldobrandini: he did the honours of Rome
to his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and looked
on an English cafpet, which was his gift, as one of the most
valuable articles in his possession. He used to relate an
anecdote of his late majesty, George II., which made a
considerable impression on him. When he was in England,
during that reign, the king shewed him a little bronze statue,
the copy of an antique in one of the palaces belonging to the
Borghese family, and said, " We have the copies, you the
originals; the Romans were our masters and our models.''
VILLAS VECCHIA, TAVERNA, AND MONDRAGONE.
Prince Borghese, whose family comes originally from
Tuscany, and possesses immense wealth, has three villas at
Erascati.
Villa Vecchia is a good house, but has nothing particular to
recommend it.
Villa Taverna is a large palace, well furnished, and con-
itaining a few good pictures. The family used to reside here
177
in autumn, and give various entertainments to the villeg-
gianti. Long avenues of aged trees lead from this building,
tip a steep ascent, to Villa Mondragone, which is situated ort
a great elevation.
This enormous palace was built by Paul V. (Borghese) for
his summer residence, and has 36*4 windows: the furniture
and hangings are falHng to pieces. In the hall of entrance,
which is of a size well suited to the building, are portraits of
most of the celebrated personages of modern history: the last
Englishman there is Henry VIII. Beyond tins is another
large hall with two fountains, over which are the antique
statues of Bacchus and Venus, with an open balcony, which
commands a view of Rome, of the Campagna, the sea, the
lake of Castiglione, and the hills above Tivoli.
Opposite to this front of the palace is a semicircular
balustrade with a large fountain, ornamented by four co-
lumns, which have vanes at the top of them: the fountain
is supported by dragons, the arms of the family, whence the
villa assumes its name Monte Dragone.
Amongst the innumerable apartments of the palace, a long
gallery, in which are 72 windows, is the most worthy of notice.
At one end of it is an antique colossal head of Antinous,
eminently beautiful, and over it is a painting by Paul
Veronese, the subject of which is Solomon worshipping the
idols. At the other extremity of the gallery is a colossal
head of Faustina, antique but inferior in merit to the An-
tinous. Over it is a painting of Cavalier d'Arpino which
represents Orpheus. The busts of the twelve Caesars by
Bernini, and two globes, with fine bronze pedestals, are also
in this apartment, / -. - ..*
A A
178
On the other side of the palace is a portico by Vignola,
of great beauty, which leads to a garden. Three antique
statues, an Apollo, an Augustus in a consular habit, and a
Roman lady, adorn this portico; and, at the end, is a window
open to Monte Porzio and the hills of Palestrina.
• At the farthest part of the garden is a semicircular build-
ing, fronting the portico, with arched niches, in which are
placed antique statues. The niches are formed in per-
spective, and their pavement, in mosaic,, follows the same
design: so that the effect produced makes the statues appear
to retreat to a considerable depth. In the central niche is
a dragon on a rock, before which is a bason of marble.
There are several other fountains in the garden, and a variety
of jets cl'eau, which are now neglected^
CONVENT OF CAMALDOLESL
About a mile from Mondragone is a convent of Carnal-
doksi, an order of friars who live as hermits in separate
cottages, and only meet at church. Their mode of life is
singularly austere, their habit white, and they let their beards
grow. They rise in the night when the bell summons them
to prayers, and they read no book that is not on a devotional
subject. These anchorites usually fix their residence on
high hills, remote from all intercourse with mankind, and
this situation appears to be perfectly congenial to their
inclinations; but they were greatly annoyed by the late
celebrated Cardinal Passionei, who built a hermitage near
them: it is said to have been very romantic, and full of
inscriptions, but scarcely any vestige of it remains, as the
179
friars took pains to destroy it, from a fear that their
meditations might again be disturbed by a powerful neigh-
bour.
Near this place was discovered, in the year 1665, the
sepulchre of the Furian family, with rings, coins, and inscrip-
tions in great number.
.aunh J KuiuM Il:>7/b QJiiO «&» -^i '
ji .. 'jndi oil Ui[\i J>or>\7aiin oio'w hna' M<^V ^'
'n ■ -
[riiii' . oi hn/; .^^ «^ 5'-
f] ,no!lifh!ii- ; -{>i>ii oil. 'ilii **oi
o4 jr ' at) ifN^ffn
180
r ^- MONTE PORZIO.
Monte Porzio is a small town, or rather village, belonging
to Prince Borghese, at a little distance from Frascati. It has
retained the name of the great censor Marcus Forcius Cato,
who was a native of Tusculum, and lived on an estate in
or near this place, which descended to him from his father.
Not far from it was a small farm to which Cato used often
to walk, as it recalled to his memory the simplicity of man-
ners, and frugality of the great men of the preceding ages.
At this farm, as he informs us, once dwelt Marius Curius,
after three triumphs, and having expelled Pyrrhus from Italy'
It was here, he adds, that this distinguished warrior received
the Samnite ambassadors, who found him boiling turnips,
offered him gold, and were answered, that he thought it
more glorious to conquer the owners of it, than to possess the
gold itself.
Cato was very partial to this spot, and to agricultural
studies and labours, for he not only wrote treatises on the
subject, but worked .in the fields with his slaves. In the
early part of his life he had so little ambition, that probably
his superior talents might have been lost to the public, had
not Valerius Flaccus, a patrician of considerable influence,
who had an estate in this neighbourhood, found him out,
5
181 '
i invited him to his table, and, discovering his uncommon
I genius and virtues, persuaded him to try his fortune at
Rome.
The little town of Monte Porzio is at the summit of the
hill, which has a picturesque appearance, and is detached
from the other eminences near it.
'_-■ ': 1 S
.'e>'uU.
182
... n
PRiENESTE, PALESTRINA.
1 HE road from Frascati to Palestrina is far from good, but
it passes through a delightful valley, in which is an inn called
Osteria di mezza Selva. This place belongs to the Prince
of Palestrine; cattle of various descriptions feed on the
plain; and in the midst of it is a rustic fountain. A chain
of hills almost encircle it, and through the division of them
appear the more distant mountains of Algidum and Albano,
forming altogether an enchanting scene.
Palestrina, called by the Romans Prceneste, is one of the
most ancient cities of Italy, and perhaps of the world.
There even appears a probability that it dates its origin from
the Sicanians, whom we have described as the first inha-
bitants of Latium before any foreign colonists landed on
their coast. Plautus names it among the cities of the
barbarians, an appellation bestowed on aH nations who
were not Greeks, or descended from them. Virgil tells us
the founder was Cajcullus, the son of Vulcan, and he also
mentions Herilus, a son of the nymph Feronia, who, he says,
^vas king of Praeneste; and his interpreter, Servius, informs
us, that this Herilus was a prince or leader of the Sicanians,
who defended Prasneste against the Aborigines or Latins.
183
In that case it must have existed at least 1500 years before
the birth of our Saviour.
Others imagine it was founded by the Pelasgi, and some
by Janus or his sons: these derive its name from a Hebrew
word signifying those who take care of granaries, and the
former from srfuvov, evergreen oaks, or Txrpvivegy on account of
its difficult access. Strabo calls it 'nroXvg-ee
would they should do unto us; let us only lament that there
j are yet wayward minds incapable of conviction, and let us
\ not indiscriminately censure our wise and virtuous predeces-
; sors, as blind and childish, unless we submit to the same
• imputation because we have amongst us predestinarians and
materialists.
Cicero, in his second book of Divination, informs us thaty
according to the records of Praeneste, the lots of Fortune
were discovered in the following manner:
Numerius Suflfetius, a man of birth and reputation, was
warned, by frequent dreams, to cut through a flint stone,
which was to be found on a spot indicated to him; these
dreams he related to many of his fellow-citizens, who laughed
at hiin for his superstition, and deterred him through the
fear of greater ridicule, from obeying what he considered as
a supernatural injunction. The dreams however continued,
, and to commands succeeded menaces; at which Numerius
was so much alarmed that he at length complied, and, break-
ing the stone, several lots of wood, inscribed with ancient
characters, made their ap])earance. Cicero adds, that, in his^
time, the spot where this discovery took place was a part;
of the temple, in which stood the statue of Fortune with
Jupiter and Juno, as infants, in her arms. He saysy that aa
olive-tree growing there was supj>osed to distil honey. The
lots were preserved in a chest made of the wood of ihisx^
sacred olive, and, when used for divination, they were throwiji
by a child on the altar of Fortune. ^
189
Cicero's subsequent remarks are such as might be expected
from a man of his understanding; and he. assures us that no
magistrate, no man of any rank, consulted the lots; but that
the beauty of thei temple, and the reverence felt for the anti-
quity of Praeneste, kept up their name among the common
people; while, in other places, this species of superstition was
entirely neglected.
Clitomachus observes, that Carneades, the orator, on his
return to Greece, used frequently to remark, that he never
thought himself more fortunate than when he viewed the
temple of Fortune at Praeneste.
In the time of the emperors, when Rome began to lose
the advantages of literature, eloquence, and philosophy,
which she so eminently possessed in the age of Cicero; when
her lustre began to fade into that twilight which portended
approaching darkness, the oracle of Fortune seems to have
re-acquired celebrity, and to have misled several of those
princes. The weakest alone are mentioned as having re-
course to it, and, amongst these, Domitian is said to have
consulted it at the commencement of every year; and flelio-
gabulus, when he was forming his plot against the Emperor
Alexander Severus. The last, on his application to the lots of
Praeneste, was answered, as we are told, in the following manner:
SI qua fata aspera rumpas,
Tu Marcellus eris. '
'. i '/ 1-
i.This is a proof that at that time the lines of Virgil were
used as answers of the oracle; but the more ancient lots,
which, however unemployed by the rational Romans, were
religiously preserved in their sacred chest, may be knowa>
190
by some specimens yet remaining in cabinets. These are
small wooden tablets, one inch wide and eight long: the
letters inscribed on them are the ancient characters used by
the Latins of the first ages, and evidently half Greek: these
tablets are of oak, and contain only a few words, as for
example: ^
" De vero falsa ne fiant judice falso."
" Let not truth become falsehood by the interpretation of
a false judge/'
Most of these sentences appear to have conveyed moral
instruction. The sortes Virgiliance, or lots of Virgil, are also
to be 5een in different collections: these are usually thin
plates of brass.
' After some previous ceremonies, a few of the lots were
cast by a child on the sacred table or altar of Fortune, and
what sense could be collected from their import regulated
the conduct of the votary. We can easily believe that the
priests divulged miraculous stories, and used various arts to
keep up the devotion of pilgrims, as we are told by Pliny and
other Roman authors.
On the reverse of medals, on gems, and other antiques, are
to be seen representations of the goddess in various attitudes,
llie symbols of all the divinities are by turns bestowed on
her, and many beautiful alegories are to be remarked, if we
attentively examine these different attributes. She is scarcely
ever without a rudder, to denote that she had the supreme
direction of human affairs. Usually she has a cornucopia,
and rarely appears without wings.
If Fortune was supposed to have an absolute power over
the land, it is not surprising that her influence in naval con-
7 '
191
cerns should be revered and dreaded. The rapid changes
experienced at sea, and the welcome interpositions of Pro-
vidence in favour of the anxious mariner, occasioned the
erection of a tower which formed part of the temple, and
served as a light-house to direct the navigator who sailed
near this coast, and warn him to salute the goddess as he
passed, offering up his prayers for the safety and success of
his voyage: a practice still observed by Mediterranean sea-
men, with respect to many places of devotion; such as the
Madonna di Monte Negro in Tuscany, Mergellina at Naples,
and Santa Rosalia in Sicily, which sanctuaries they never
pass without firing a salute, or giving some mark of respect
proportionate to their vessel and crew.
The people of Palestrina traditionally believe and relate,
that St. Peter came to Praeneste and established the Chris-
tian religion within its walls; but the first bishop of this place
mentioned in history is Felix, in the year of our Lord 313,
since which time it has been uninterruptedly a bishop's see,
and many of its prelates have been celebrated for their
learning and piety.
About the year 900, a lady, who p<;ssessed this city, mar-
rying one of the Colonnas, they became masters of Palestrina,
and remained so till, the year 1630, when, for want of monejv
they were obliged to sell it, for 600,000 crowns, to Pope
Ui-ban VIII., who purchased it for his nephew Barberini;
but, in the year 1722, by the marriage of Prince Sciarra
Colonna to Donna Cornelia Barberini, sole heiress of that
family, it was restored to its noble possessors, after having
been lost to them for near a century. The wars between the
Colonnas and the popes were innumerable; Eugcnio IV.
192
burned and destroyed all Palestrina, except the prince's
palace and the cathedral. It was a sovereignty of which
the pontiffs were always jealous.
The prince's power is, even now, very little inferior to that
of a sovereign: he has the right of life and death, and admi-
nisters justice without any appeal. The prisons are beneath
the palace. They are part of the ancient building, and, in
viewing them, the mind naturally reflects on the sublime ode
of Horace, addressed to Fortune.
A regiment of infantry and one of cavalry composed the
guard of the late prince of Palestrina, and Count Scutellari;
his master of the horse, a noble Parmesan, had the command
of both. A major and a captain resided in the city, but
these regiments were far from being complete; neither are
the employments lucrative, but they are considered as
honourable by the inhabitants, many of whom are people
of genteel families, and inhabit commodious dwellings;
their wives have jewels, and dress in the Roman fashion:
those of the middling class wear a purple silk petticoat,
jacket, and sleeves, a large piece of scarlet silk, trimmed
with silver, wrapped round them, hanging down in a point
behind, and a handkerchief on the head put on very be-
comingly. The women of the lower order wear a dress of
the same form, only of coarser materials.
There is a chapter, the canons of which are named ])artly
by the prince and partly by their bishop, who is always a
cardinal; his palace is at the bottom of the hill, and is neatly
fitted up, but has nothing particular to recommend it.
On approaching Palestrina it presents a noble view, as it
is situated on the ascent of a high and steep hill, at the
193
summit of which is a small place calle^l Castel San Pietro,
where was formerly a fortress now in ruins.
The city has a singular appearance; the streets are narrow,
and almost wholly composed of ruins of ancient edifices, not
easy of access, which however is somewhat facilitated by
steps leading from one street to another. It is not therefore
wonderful that, although many of the inhabitants of Pales-
trina are sufficiently opulent to have carriages, there are not
more than two or three ^vho choose to be at this useless
expence. The town is never dirty, and the houses are mostly
built on good principles of architecture.
The cathedral, consecrated by Pope Pascal II. in the 12th
century, is dedicated to St. Agapet, a martyr of 15 years of
age, whose history, not ill painted, adorns the church.
St. Antonio, of the Carmelites, is a Gothic building, but
ornamented with marble and gilding. There are several
convents, two of which are for nuns, and those of the Bambin
Gesii have boarders.
In a cellar, belonging to the seminary for the education of
young ecclesiastics, is seen the table or rather altar where the
lots were cast, and it is said to be ornamented with sculpture;
but, when we saw it, so many casks of wine were heaped
upon it, and around it, that only one corner was to be dis-
cerned: in the court and garden, belonging to the same
building, are many vestiges of ancient walls, columns, and
cornices.^ Here also is preserved the iron which supported
the light suspended to the tower for the observation of
mariners.
The chief object of curiosity is the palace of Uie prince,
in the highest part of the city, to which there is an ascent,
c c
194
by an excellent coach road to the right, by the Capucin oon-
vent, without entering the narrow street. Before it is a level
space of considerable length, which formed the highest plat-
• form of the temple of Fortune.
Two flights of steps lead to an amphitheatre, or semicircular
staircaise, in excellent preservation, which is the same that
led to the sanctuary of the temple, on the foundation of
which the palace is built: in the middle of the semicircle
is a well; each step is about a foot and a half high (like
the ancient steps of the capitol which lead to the church of
Ara Coeli, at Rome). Another short flight conducts to the
hall of entrance, where are seen four elegant bronze cannons,
a double staircase, and a recess, closed by iron grates, which
contains the celebrated antique pavement, of which Pliny
speaks in the following terms :
The fine mosaic of small stones, placed by Sylla as a pavement
in the temple of Fortune at Prceneste, was the first thin^ of the
kind seen in Italy,
There does not seem to be the smallest room to doubt of
this being the genuine mosaic he mentions: it is in excellent
preservation, and appears to be about twenty feet by six-
teen. It was found in the same cellar of the seminary,
where is still the altar of Fortune, and may be considered as
. one of the most interesting relics of antiquity.
Towards the upper part of it are mountains, with negro
savages hunting wild beasts; animals of different sorts, with
their names in Greek written below them — such as rhinoceros,
crocodile, and lynx. Lower down are seen houses of various
forms, temples, vessels of different construction, particu-
larly a galley of 32 oars, manned with anned blacks, and
19o
commanded by a white man ; a tent with soldiers, a palm-
tree, flowers, a collation in an arbour, an altar of Anubis;
in short, almost every circumstance imaginable in life. The
scene apparently lies in Egypt. The figures are well drawn,
the light and shadows happily disposed, and the colouring
harmonious. The stones which compose this very curious
pavement are remarkably small, which renders the effect
peculiarly pleasing from the neatness of its appearance.
To the left of the hall of entrance is another, of very con-
siderable size, painted by Zuccheri, with trophies and the
Barberini arms; beyond this a lesser ball, with two small
French cannons of the most curious workmanship, and several
rooms, which composed » formerly, the apartments of Cardi-
nal Sciarra, brother of the prince. They are chiefly hung
with crimson velvet and yellow sattin.
Jn the great drawing-room is one immense window with
a balcony, commanding one of the finest views that can be
beheld: the sea near Nettuno and the Pontine islands; a
long chain of mountains, on which appear Frascati, Rocca
Priora, and other towns; the sea again near Ostia; the city,
of Rome; to the left, other hills, and the Appinines behind
them, wath a great number of little towns and villages. The
country immediately below Palestrina forms a beautiful fore-
ground, to the advantage of which the long avenues of
elms, which lead to the city, contribute greatly. In this
room are several portraits of the Barberini family, two
of which are very good, and the four evangelists over the
doors have great merit. The state canopy is of crimson
and gold.
In the adjoining room are two pleasing and well-painted
^ c c (^
196
portraits of a Duke and Duchess of Modena, the latter of
whom was a Barberini.
In the bed-chamber is a beautiful little annunciation, bj
Romanelli; and the bed, which was that of Urban VIII. , is
an exact model, in a smaller proportion, of the high-altar at
St. Peter's: there are four twisted columns, the gilding of
which must have been of great expence; but it is to be
remembered, that Urban reigned twenty-one years, and was
not scrupulous in the article of nepotism.
The apartments of the prince and princess are on the floor
above, and are each composed of a suite of noble rooms,
but the first has only a few pictures and a little furniture;
the second is totally unfurnished, as when the princess
resided at Palestrina, she lived in a smaller house belonging
to the family, at the bottom of the hill; besides which they
have two other houses in the town.
The two apartments above-mentioned are separated by
an open terrace, which is truly delightful from the view it
enjoys. Here is a painting in fresco by Pietro da Cortona,
which gives a complete idea of the ancient temple. He has
taken it from the notion he was enabled to form, after
studying the different levels, ruins, and descriptions. Below
the sanctuary, where is now the palace, appear other temples,
or chapels, two ponds for purifying the victims, -dwellings for
the priests and ministers, and, at the bottom, a long wall with
niches, (formerly adorned with statues,) great part of which
is still to be seen at the entrance of the town.
Beneath this terrace is a church dedicated to Saint Rosalia,
a young Sicilian lady, who was canonized for the miracles
supposed to be performed by her bones, which were found
7 m
197
in a most picturesque cave, wljere she lived, on Mount '
Pelegrino near Palermo; of which city she is the patroness,
and gives occasion to the most splendid . annual festival
known in Europe. This church is uncommonly elegant,
and its architect was Pietro da Cortona. Over the altar is
a picture copied from, one of Carlo Maratti which was
removed from hence. It represents St. Rosalia stopping the
progress of the plague. On each side is a fine column of
lumachella. The pavement was covered with leaves and
flowers disposed in regular forms, which were soon deranged
by a long procession of the women of Palestrina, who entered
the church on account of its being the anniversary of a
saint, and had a picturesque effect, from the uniformity and
brilliant appearance of their scarlet mantles. There is an •
organ in the church, -which contains also two elegant monu-
ments of cardinals of the Barberini family.
In the sacristy is what is called the treasure of the church,
which is indeed a very valuable collection: — fine vestments
of all sorts for the priests; relics of various saints, richly set
in silver; a Madonna della pietd, or Virgin with our Saviour
dead on her knees, engraved on rock crystal, set in silver,
with emeralds and other precious stones, on a base of fine
jasper; a knit glove of St. Pius Y. in a frame and glass;
small cabinets of various kinds; miraculous manna, &c. &c.
Five rooms compose the armory, which is kept in good
order, and contains many memorials of the bravery of the
Sciarra Colonnas, as arms taken from the Turks and
Moors. Every species of ancient armour is here to be seen,
both for knights and private soldiers : there is even a cuirass,
which belonged to a young lady of the family; the shape of
igs
it is very pretty, but there is a hole made by a musket ball so
near the heart, that it must certainly have occasioned the death
of the fair Amazon. There are also jackets made of little iron
scales, lined with purple velvet, swords which had muskets
screwed to them, beautiful helmets for horses, exactly fitting
the shape of the head, and many other curiosities. Most of
the armour seems to have seen much service.
Near the armory is a theatre, capable of holding two
hundred spectators, and there is a wardrobe and scenery
belonging to it.
In a subterranean chapel are four tombs of the Barberini
family, and, over the altar, a group sketched out by Michael
Angelo, representing a dead Saviour supported by two other fi-
gures ; it is hewn out of the rock, and has boldness of execution.
The colour of it is reddish, which gives to the figures an ap-
pearance so natural as to render them in some measure terrific.
This immense and magnificent building has not been in-
habited for many years, and indeed it is much too large for
the present modes of life. The length of it is 672 feet.
There is a semicircular area behind the house, with ancient
tombs.
Many interesting vestiges of the temple are to be traced
in the town, and the different risings on which it was situated
are easily distinguished in the remaining walls.
Near Palestrina are two casini, or country-houses, belong-
ing to the prince, to which lead beautiful avenues of elms;
and there is another avenue of the same trees two miles in
length, the ancient road to the town.
The first casino is a house that in England would be
thought large, with two wings. It contains a great number
199
of portraits of the Barberini family, men ot letters, poets,
and others. They are ill painted, but the names are written
under them.
The smaller casino is fantastically pretty, in the form of
a triangle, with an octagon above it, and three triangular
terraces; a door of entrance in each side of the triangle:
there are some good pictures, and all rather pleasing.
The architecture of these two casini is by Bernini. The
prince keeps a chaplain to officiate there, and two for
the palace.
About two miles distant 'from Palestrina, in the road to
Valmontone, is the prince's dairy: it is a rustic building,
situated in a meadow, with an immense walnut-tree before
it. Seventy cows belong to it. Near the road, just below
the town, is a vineyard in which are to be seen the ruins of
the circular temple of Sera pis. Another of his vineyards,
named the Colombella, has a long walk of laurels, from which
is the best view of the town.
The Madonna delta Villa is a hermitage, with a small church,,
so called from the ruins of the villa of the emperors, in the
midst of which it is situated. Augustus, Tiberius, and many
of their successors, inhabited this spot. Porticos, chambers,
and baths, still remaining, give a great idea of the distribution
and extent of this chain of apartments. Much of the marble
incrustation is left, and it is easy to walk at least half a mile
in these ruined galleries, courts, and rooms, without entering
those under ground, which are dark, and rather difficult of
access. Statues, columns, and other ornaments, have been
often found here. There was an amphitheatre, and many
other buildings, as may be inferred from the ruins to be seen-
200
for the length of a mik. This place is immediately joining
to Palestrina below the hill.
Amongst other antiques discovered in this place, several
fine cameos and intaglios have rewarded the pains of the
searchers; and innumerable treasures of this nature are,
undoubtedly, still concealed by the vineyards and buildings.
Palestrina is twenty-one miles distant from Rome, but the
ancient " Via Prajnestina" is no longer in use. That which
at present leads to it from the capital was called by the
Romans "Via Labicana," from the city of Labicum to which
it was directed.
' It begins at " Porta Maggiore,*' and passes through a vil-
lage entitled " Forno Nuovo,'' belonging to Prince Borghese,
where the view of the Frascati hills is extremely pleasing.
A little farther to the left is the Lake Regillus, celebrated in
history for the apparition of Castor and Pollux. They were
said to have been seen watering their horses at this place,
after the victory gained by the Romans over the supporters
of the cause of Tarquin. The access to this little lake is
still so easy on this side, that cattle usually stop to drink
here, but the opposite banks are more elevated. At no
great distance to the right appears, on an eminence, the
village of " La Colonna,*' by some believed to be the ancient
Labicum, and by others Gabia.
A few miles before the traveller reaches Palestrina, he finds
an inn called San Cesato, anciently one of the resting places
for the legions on their march, and called "Ad Status.''
201
GABIA,
AND
OTHER ANCIENT TOWNS,
IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
TUSCULUM AND PR^NESTE.
GABIA.
The ancient city of Gabia, celebrated in the Roman history
for having been the place whither Numitor, after the dis-
covery of his grandsons, Romulus and Remus, sent them for
education; and where they received, as we are told by
Dionysius, Plutarch, and Festus, instructions in literature
and the liberal arts, must have been, at that time, a place of
high importance in Latium. It was situated, as Appian,
Strabo, and other authors inform us, on the road to Prae-
/leste, half way from Rome to that city: — probably in the
place where is now an inn, called L'Osteria del Finocchio,
although many antiquaries suppose it to have been where is
now La Colon jia, a town, belonging to the family whose name
it bears, on a little hill to the right of this road; but the
numerous vestiges of antiquity found at Finocchio, and the
D D
^202
exact distance from Rome, make the conjecture respecting
this situation more easily admitted.
Tarquin the Proud, after many unavailing attempts to
take this city, gained it by the unjustifiable stratagem of his
son Sextus, who, introducing himself as an exile claiming a
refuge from the inhumanity of his father, obtained consi-
derable authority there, and, by his fascinating manners and
consummate hypocrisy, rendered himself very powerful. By
keeping up a secret correspondence with his father in the
most cautious manner, he was enabled to execute the atro-
cious commission of cutting off the heads of the principal
men in Gabia, signified to him by the messenger, who, on
his return, informed him that the king led him into his
garden, and, with a stick, while in conversation, struck off
the highest poppies growing there.
We are not told by what means exactly this horrid purpose
waa effected, but there can be little doubt that it was by the
revolutionary method of seducing the people from their
; obedience to their superiors, and arming them against them.
I The consequence was, the whole city falling into the hands
j of the tyrant, and never after recovering its ancient splendour.
Near this place the Gauls, after the recovery bf Rome,
rested from their flight, and encamped; when they were
followed by Camillus, and so completely defeated, that, if we
may believe the testimony of Livy, not a man was left after
this engagement to boast that they had once been conquerors
of Rome.
In the time of the historian Dionysius, of Halicarnassus,
only a small part of this city was inhabited, and that chiefly
the street through which the high road passed. Here were
203
inns, and it was eas^ to judge of what the place had been, bj
the extent of the walls and the remains of «umptuous edifices.
It afterwards fell entirely into ruin, and almost sunk into
oblivion. Near this spot Mr. Hamilton, the historical painter,
found a noble bust of Agrippa, and other antiques.
The Gordian family had a magnificent villa on this road :
it is mentioned by Julius Capitolinus, who gives a descrip-
tion of the splendid appearance it made in his time. Some
suppose that the ruins seen at " Torre Novo,'' a villa of the
Pancifili family, are the remains of this habitation, and that
the fine columns of serpentine marble in the old church of
St. John of Lateran were brought from hence.
PEDUM.
Tub town of Pedum, which is often mentioned by Roman,
historians, appears to have been situated at nearly an equal
distance from Tusculum, Labicum, and Tibur. It is there*
tore probable that the vestiges of ancient walls, seen near
a place called " Osteria deir Osa/' on the banks of the little
river Osa, may be the remains of Pedum, although some
authors place it at Gallicano, a fief of the Rospigliosi family,
which gives a title to the prince's brother.
Pedum suffered greatly by Coriolanus, and by the Gauls.
In a fragment of the " Fasti Consulares," preserved in the
palace of the conservatori at the capitol, it is recorded that
Camillus, in the year four hundred and four, triumphed over
the Pedanians and Tiburtines.
Tibullus was in this neighbourhood, " in regione Pedana,"
when Horace addressed to him the beautiful epistle in which
D D £
204
he alludes to the advantages of person, character, and man-
ners of that dehghtful poet*.
SCAPTIA.
This city was not far from Pedum, and is supposed to
have occupied the place where is now a villa of the Strozzi
family, called Longhezza. ■
PUPINIA.
A CITY frequently mentioned by historians. Livy tells us,
that the consul Decius, coming from Etruria, crossed the
rivers Tiber and Anio, and encamped in the fields near
Pupinia. He likewise says, that Hannibal, after leaving the
territories of the Hernici, Labicani, Tusculans, and Gabians,
encamped near Pupinia, eight miles distant from Rome; by
which it appears that this town was situated nearly on the
spot where is now an inn, little more than half way from
Rome to Frascati; although the ruins to be seen in this
place are certainly not of the times above-mentioned, but
probably are the remains of a town built in the lower ages,
and destroyed by Barbarossa.
The celebrated Regulus had an estate near this spot, as
we learn from Valerius Maximus; who says, that when his
steward died he was obliged to petition the senate to appoint
one, the soil being so bad, and the air so pestilential, that
no one would willingly undertake the office.
Varro and Columella give a similar account of this situa-
tion, and the ground is still said to answer their description
of it.
* Epist. iv. lib. i.
205
ROBORARIA AND ALGIDUM. t.
The first place on the "Via Latina," beyond Tusculuni,
was Roboraria, the ruins of which are still visible on a hill,
called " La Molara." Beyond it was Mount Algidum, with
a town of the same name at the foot of that hill so often
sung by the Roman poets, with a temple of Diana, held in
great veneration, and much frequented. Antiquaries place
it where is now an inn, entitled simply " UOsteria."
CORBIO.
The next place was Corbio, a city of the ^Equi, and con-
federate of Algidum and Hortona, which gave the Romans
no small trouble, till, in the year two hundred and fifty-eight
of their aera, it was taken and destroyed by the dictator,
Horatius Pulvillus. It is imagined that Corbio stood on the
ground where is at present Monfortino, a little town be-
longing to the Borghese family.
"Vitellia'' was situated between Corbio and Algidum,
and was one of the seven towns taken by Coriolanus in the
space of a month. " Hortona" was nearer the hills of
Praeneste.
" Bola" was a town of the Mquiy between Labicum and
Praeneste, taken by Posthumus, after experiencing great
losses in the attempt.
Almost all these places were destroyed before the times
of Livy, Dionysius, or Pliny ; the last of whom gives a list
of nineteen more cities and towns in Latium than are mea-
206
tioned by any other author; and he says, that in all fifty-
three had disappeared, without leaving a vestige to direct
the traveller to the spot where they existed in the first agest
of the Latin confederacy.
20?
MODERN TOWNS
IM THS
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF PALESTRINA,
ZAGAROLA.
i^AGAiiOLA is by many authors supposed to be the ancient
Labicum, which others place at " La Colonna/' and it is
difficult to decide the question : however, as the greater
number of voices is in favour of Zagarola, it is needless
to give an account of the motives for these different con-
jectures.
The inhabitants of Labicum had continual wars with the
Komans, till, having joined the ^Equi in three hundred and
thirty-five, and obtained some advantages, they weie de-
feated by Servilius Priscus, their camp was taken, and the
walls of Labicum were scaled. Next year the senate sent
fifteen hundred colonists, and divided estates amongst them.
Zagarola is about four miles distant from Palestrina, and
gives a title to the eldest son of Prince Rospigliosi, to whom
it now belongs; but was before possessed by the Boncom-
pagnis, and anciently by the Colonnas, whose arms are still
to be seen on fountains and other buildings. It is surrounded
by delightful valleys, which afford a variety of picturesque
views.
208
The road is excellent, and an avenue of trees leads to the
town. At the end of a long street is a gate, and has relief
on it of good sculpture. The road passes through the palace
of the prince, a ver^^ large building with a long suite of
apartments. The great hall is worthy attention, on account
of its immense size. Over the door is the following inscrip-
tion, in honour of the grandfather of the present prince:
*
Quanta sit aula vides ; spatium licet occupat ingens,
Attamcn est animo principis aula minor.
However great this spacious hall we find.
Far greater is the noble master's mind. , .
In this palace are several paintings, and, in the billiard-
room, portraits of a great number of popes and cardinals.
The prince, who used to come hither on hunting-parties
while his father lived, inhabited the attics, fitted up with
great neatness and simplicity.
The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter, is a small circular
building of elegant proportion.
The church of the Annunciation belongs to the Barnabites,
and has an altar-piece in the style of Pietro da Cortona, the
subject of which is a flight into Egypt.
VALMONTONE.
Valmontone, which takes its name from the town being
built on an eminence, in the midst of a narrow valley, be-
tween two mountains, is the property of Prince Doria, about
four miles and a half distant from Palestrina. The road is
wonderfully picturesque, and the scenery varies continually:
'i\J /V X-'ls.'
209
the hills are well wooded, and between them appear cool and
delightful vallies. A bridge, formerly an aqueduct, leads to
a winding path, which ascends the little hill on which the
town of Valmontone is situated* At the summit is the
prince's palace, and adjoining to it the church of an oval
form and good architecture.
The palace is a very large building, furnished with great
propriety; the prince and his family always spending some
time here every year.
In the suite of rooms on the first floor are some excellent
paintings; particularly a great hall painted in fresco, by
Caspar Poussin, to represent an open lodge, exhibiting, be-
tween the arches and columns, delightful views which almost
deceive the eye of the spectator; so much they have the
appearance of real prospects: as a frieze is a balustrade, over
Avhich are seen various figures in Vand3^ke dresses, some
leaning, others playing on musical instruments. The colour-
ing of this hall is so fresh and harmonious, the idea so happy,
and the whole so finely painted, that it must strike the tra-
veller as one of the most pleasing things he ever saw. In the
four principal rooms of this chain of apartments are ceilings,
by Pietro da Cortona, Borghignone, Cilia, and Cozza: the
first represents mythological subjects, and is certainly well
executed, but not equal to most of the compositions of
Cortona; the second, by Borghignone, is happily composed
and very interesting, the subject of it is Galatea discoverino-
Acis changed into a river god; that by Cilia shews Fame,
Fortune, Love, and Time, with their different attendants;
Cozza has painted, in the fourth, the forge of Vulcan, with
Venus, in her car, coming to sue for armour to adorn her son
E E
210
^^neas. Her figure is astonishingly foreshortened, but it has
a good effect.
In these rooms are several pictures which have great merit,
particularly the landscapes. There are also some good pieces
of dead game, and one of armour and other military trophies,
painted with singular truth. Some of the portraits deserve
attention.
At the top of the palace is an open lodge, whence the
prospect is very fine.
The stables form a considerable building, fronting one end
of the palace.
At Valmontone is a silk manufactory, established, and all
the expences paid, by Prince Doria, for the employment and
maintenance of the poor. There are charity-schools and
other excellent institutions, supported by the princess out of
her pin-money. The inhabitants are therefore in a state of
considerable comfort, and the only inconvenience of this
place is, the humidity to which its situation exposes it during
autumn, and in that season it is considered as unhealthy.
Prince Doria is descended from the heroes of that name
who are distinguished in the annals of Genoa; and, as head
■of the family, enjoys peculiar honours in that city.
GENAZZANO AND CAVI. ^I^fi
The road from Palestrina to Genazzano passes ttfrough
Caviy a small town belonging to Prince Colonna, to represent
-whose arms a column is erected in the market place; the
streets are narrow, and almost perpendicular, — circumstances
which render this, in common with many other little places
in Italy, equally picturesque to the beholder and incon-
> . .
1^ 7h '•
21J
venicnt to the inhabitants: at a short distance from the town
is a monastery of Augustinians, where the late Cardinal Bor-
ghese had fitted up a chain of rooms for his residence during
the summer months.
This town is about halfway to Genazzano, which is between
six and seven miles distant from Palestrina: all the way is
shaded by fine trees, and presents a constant succession of
beautiful scenery.
Genazzano, the first appearance of which resembles a little
fortress, is considered in this country as a second Loretto, on
account of an image of the Madonna, reported to have flown
over the sea from Albania in Macedon. It has a great repu-
tation for miracles, and continually excites the devotion and
curiosity of pilgrims. The Colonna famil}^ to whom this
town belongs, set a high value on it; and one of the principal
causes of the Electress of Saxony's visit to Italy is said to
have been this Madonna. Many lights are kept burning, and
a priest officiates daily in the chapel where it is preserved:
the church is not otherwise remarkable.
At the farther end of the town is prince Colonna's palace,
a large Gothic structure with battlements and a ditch. There
are many noble rooms, and in an open lodge are fresco
paintings of the principal estates of the family in the king-
dom of Naples: from this portico is seen Capranica, a place
belonging to the Prince of Palestrina as part of the Sciarra
estate; it is situated on the summit of a high hill. In the
apartments are seen many portraits of Colonnas, one of
which is that of Agnes, daughter of Albert II., Emperor of
Germany, between her two husbands, one a Colonna, and
the other Andrew king of Hungary; the first rs on her right
E E 2
212
hand, and tljcir names are written on scrolls of paper.
On the great staircase is a column, with the foilowiug
inscription;
" Mole 8U0 Stat."
" It stands by its own bulk.'*
This inscription, proudly descriptive of the power of the
Colonnas, which so long rendered them not merely independ-
ent of the popes but formidable to them, is not the only
motto adopted by this family. The late cardinal vicar, who
was a Colonna, and a man of great piety and virtue, used to
deny improper requests, when repeatedly urged, by saying,
" Le Colonne si spezzano ma non si piegano.''
There is much of baronial magnificence in this palace,
though not equal to that of Palestrina: in the court is a
commodious theatre; indeed most of the noblemen's castles,
in this part of Italy, had some hall set apart for dramatic
representations, and the Colonnas, in particular, seem to
have been great protectors of this species of entertainment.
On the return to Palestrina appears, to the left, at a
little distance, Palliano, a fortress, formerly of great im-
portance, and still belonging to Prince Colonna, four
miles beyond Genazzano. It had a garrison, and was kept
in good order, till the French invaded the pope's dominions
in seventeen hundred and ninety-eight. In the wars oc-
casioned by the disputes of the Guelphs and Gibelines, it
was considered as a place of considerable strength, and it is
well known that the Orsini and Colonnas w^ere at the head
of these different parties. They, by turns, were equally
213
dreaded by the popes, who took every possible method to
lessen their power; and, when we consider they were sove*.
reigns as well as pontiffs, we cannot be surprised that they
wished to humble these haughty barons. It was certainly one
of the reasons why they endeavoured to strengthen themselves
by raising their nephews, and other connections, to power
and influence, Ariosto, in one of his satires, bitterly upbraids
them with their efforts to lower the great families of the state
to enrich their nephews, instead of making war on the Turks
and other infidels.
Per spezzar la Colonna o spegner I'Orso,
E levargli Palestrina o Tagliacozzo.
But it must be owned that, whatever respect these noblemen
bad for religion, they had very little for him whom they were
taught to consider as the chief of it. One of the Sciarras is
reported to have given a blow, with his gauntlet, to a pope
whom he had taken prisbner.
Far different has been the conduct of this noble family in
later years. The popes have had' no subjects more loyal ; and
the present high constable, Colonna, not content with giving his
plate and jewels, when government stood in need of assistance,
raised, at his own expence, a regiment of cavalry, furnished
them with arms and horses, and gave up one of his houses for
barracks, at the time of the invasion.
The origin of this family is lost in remote antiquity; we
have said that they were princes of Palestrina in the year
nine hundred, and they are allied to most of the sovereigns of
Europe. The present prince married a princess of Carignan,
of the house of Savoy, and his mother was of that of Este.
6*
2U
They seem to have derived their name from one of their
ancestors, who, in the earliest expeditions to the Holy Land,
is said to have got possession of the column to which ouy
Saviour was fastened to be scourged, and, with great labour,
brought it to the sea-side, when he embarked witb it
for Italy.
All this part of the country once belonged to them, and
the capital of their dominions was Palestrina. The division
into two branches, the head of one of which was called
Sciarra, from his mihtary exploits, was the first cause of
diminishing their possessions: many of them were also given
away in dowries, and, among the rest. Villa Conti at Frascati.
We have related in what manner the victory of Lepanto
robbed them of Nettuno; yet both the branches had much
left to lose, when their unshaken principles exposed them to
every indignity on the part of the modern Attilas and
Barbarossas.
215
T I B U R,
TIVOLI.
ri^
iHis city, about sixteen miles distant from Rome, is of
great antiquity; and the following account, given by histo-
rians of its founders, however uncertain, from the early age
in which they lived, deserves some attention.
After the expulsion of Polynices, son of the unfortunate
*::ii ;
The first temple built at Tibur w^as dedicated to Saturn;
•the benefits of his government were fresh in the memory of
the people of Latium; his name was held in universal vene-i
ration, and he was considered as their tutelar deity. . It is
probable that when Catillus chose this spot for his residence,
he found the primitive inhabitants addicted to this worship,
which however was very different in Italy from the barbarous
rites performed in many other countries, under the pretence
of adoring Saturn. He was here venerated as the parent of
the golden age, and the sacrifices offered to him were as
guiltless as the tinges of which the}' were intended to preserve
Xhe. remembrance. ., .
»^'i'he' temple erected to his honour by Catillus is said to
have been splendid, but H is not probable that in the sim-
plicity of that age great magnificence could have been its
recommendation: succeeding chiefs might enlarge and adorn
it, and we know that, like other temples dedicated to the
same divinity, it served as a treasury, whence, in the time
of the civil wars, Caesar borrowed money, (as Appian informs
us,) which he did also from Nemi, Lanuvium, and Antium,
ii§ well as tli€ temple of Saturn at Rome, now Saint Adrian.
-' It is difficult to ascertain where this temple stood. Some
have supposed that it was the same which afterwards bore
the name of Hercules; and others, that the temple of Hercules
was built adjoining to it. This last was indeed sumptuous,
and celebrated throughout Latium for its antiquity and
splendour,
Evander, amongst the instructions which he received from
his prophetic mother Carmenta, was told by her, that a be-
neficent hero, the avenger of innocence, and punisher of guilt,
would arrive in Ital}^ soon after he should be settled there, and
that she advised him to pay divine honours to this godlike
stranger. In effect, Hercules landed in Latium after his vie-
tory over Geripn in Spain, and destroyed the robber CacuSj
who dwelt in, a cave under Mount Aventine, and infested
the neighbouring country. Evander, mindful of the advice of
Carmentaj and grateful for the service performed, raised an
^Itar to his heroic guest, and persuaded the other princes of
Latiun)' tQ imitate his example. . His friend Catillus naturally
followed it, and divine honours were paid to Hercules at Tibur,
This' temple was a4i edifice of great 'extent and magnifi-
l^^ence hi the time of Augustus, who, when he was staying al
7
222
the villa of Mecoena^r used to come hither by a long portico,
which led from thence to the peristyle, where he used fre-
quently to administer justice. Vestiges of this portico were
to be seen rtot many years ago, and there is little doubt that
the present cathedral of Tivoli, San Lorenzo, was built on
the ruins of the temple of Hercules; as several inscriptions
were found on the spot demonstrative of having belonged
to it. Vast columns were also discover0d^f various marbles,^
and other fragments which evinced the size of the buildingv
There was a library annexed to it, which is mentioned by
Aulus Gellius and other authors; and there were also houses
for the ministers, who were held in high estimation, and had
th« title of Herculani Augimiaks. It is well known that this
divinity M'as worshipped under different denominations, and
he was called at Tibur Hercules Saxanus, from his throwing
stones against the giants.
The temple of the Sybil Albunea, or Tiburtina> which Avas
probably very ancient, was situated near the great cascade^
and was destroyed by the force of the water: a new one was
erected by Augustus, on the same spat, with more solid
foundations ; and, although some antiquaries suppose the
elegant little temple, now called by that name, to have been
that of Vesta, and others of Tiburnus, I know not what
reasons can be adduced to prove, that it is not what it is
traditionally said to be:- more particularly as the architecture
is in the style of that of the Augustan age, and the situation
such as poets and historians describe when they speak af the
temple of the sybih
Varro mentions the statue of the tenth Sybil Albunea,
(whom, he says, the people of Tibur venerate as a goddess,)
223
being found in the river Anio, holding in her hand a book.
So much has been said and written on the history of the
Bjbils, and so Httle certainty is there relative to these extra-
ordinary beings, that it is difficult to know what to say on
the subject. As to beauty and picturesque situation nothing
can exceed this little temple. The person in whose vineyard
it stands keeps an inn, where travellers are not ill accom-
modated. It is usually full of artists in the spring and
summer months, who cannot better employ their time than
iu studying the diversity of landscapes to be found in this
interesting valley.
From this place there is a steep descent to a grotto near
the great cascade, the beauty of which baffles all description.
It is called La Grotta di Nettmio. On the way are to be
seen different petrefactions.
Besides the great cascade, which is near the sybil's temple,
there are smaller ones called la cascatella grande, and le cas-
catelle piccole; the last are near the villa of Mecaenas, and
the other is at the extremity of the valley, and, at a certain
hour, forms a beautiful rainbow : near it is a natural grotto,
in which are three compartments; a little garden before it
leads down to the cascatella. The light spray of the water,
which the inhabitants call the dust of the cascades, keeps up
a delightful coolness in the valley, and is very beneficial to
the variety of flowers and shrubs which grow wild on the
banks of the Teverone; the majestic and interesting ruins,
the various trees, and verdure of the grass, the murmur of
the waters, and the sublimity of the sheltering hills, give
a mingled sensation of awe and delight, which it is impos-
sible to describe.
224
I The time of the year in whi in what, he
3S2
imagined, was an eating-room: this mosaic be, with great
reason, supposed to be the same which is mentioned by
Pliny, who exactly describes it, book xxxvi. chap. 25, as the
work of Socus, a celebrated artist of Pergamus. Cardinal
Marefoschi also found three curious mosaics, representing a
combat of centaurs and wild beasts, and scenes in the
country. There was a beautiful sleeping figure discovered
by the same family, and sold to the late King of Sweden;
but it would be endless to describe the valuable acquisitions
of those who have taken the pains of digging amidst these
ruins.
VILLA OF ZENOBIA.
At the distance of about a mile from Adrian's villa, at a
place called St. Antonio, are ruins which probably belonged
to the villa of Zenobia, Queen of Palmira, a woman of great
endowments, who, being conquered by the Emperor Aurelian,.
after an obstinate defence of her kingdom, was led in triumph
at Rome in the year 274 of our aera.
Vopiscus says, that she afterwards retired to a place
named Concha, in the neighbourhood of Adrian's villa at
Tibur, and lived there with her children according to the
Roman customs. She spoke the Persian, Greek, Latin, and
Egyptian languages, and boasted of being related to Cleo-
patra, whom she imitated in her magnificent style of living,
but was particularly correct in her conduct. She gave
splendid dinners, walked often, and sometimes rode, or went
in a litter. •
What gives great probability to the conjecture of this
having been her villa is, the place still retaining the name
233
of Conca, and Frederic Cesi, Duke of Aquasparta, found
here golden bracelets and other female ornaments. Hip-
polito, Cardinal of Este, also found a bas-relief of the
nine Muses.
Others believe that Zenobia lived near the Solfatara,
where are the ruins of baths entitled Bagni della Regitii; but
there is only this appellation to support their conjecture.
She passed many years here highly respected, and her
daughters married Roman patricians.
VILLA OF SYPHAX.
In the Via Valeria, at a place called Saji Marcello, are the
remains of the Villa of Syphax, King of Numidia, who
abandoned the alliance of the Romans, during the second
Punic war, in compliance with the persuasions of his wife
Sophonisba. He was defeated by Scipio and sent prisoner to
Rome, whence he was transferred to this place, where he re-
mained tiU his death, which happened two years after, in 552,
It appears to have been a sumptuous habitation; and a
beautiful bason for a fountain, with other vestiges of its
ornaments, was discovered, many years since, in this place.
Various fragments of fine marble found here were employed,
by Paul v., in the decoration of the church of Santa Maria
Maggiore, at Rome.
VILLA OF THE CiESONIAN FAMILY.
The first villa, the ruins of which are seen on the nothern
bank of the Teverone, is that of the Ca?sonian family,
improperly supposed to have been that of Julius CsEsar or
Caligula. The place is now called Cc$arano, which gave
H u
234
occasion to that supposition ; but we do not learn from
history that either of those Csesars had a villa near Tibur,
whereas inscriptions, found on the spot, clearly denote
that it was inhabited by the Caesonii. One of them served
under Ca^sar^ in Spain, against the sons of Pompey; another
had an employment under Tiberius; and Caligula married
a Caesonia.
This place is also called Grotta Saracena^ and the whole
of the olive-ground, which is beautiful, and extends from the
gate of Santa Croce, over the hill, to where the Roman road
begins to ascend, is by many named Lostorio, supposed to
be a corruption of Sallustii; and it is conjectured, that, as
the historian Sallust had a villa in the neighbourhood of
Tibur, this might be the spot on which it stood.
Wherever he lived, there can be no doubt that his mansion
was elegant and costly; as he was one of those men whose
practice differs greatly from their theory with respect to
simplicity of manners and contempt of luxury. We know
that his gardens on the Pincian hill, near Rome, were
eminently beautiful.
The Coponii are supposed to have lived near the gate of
Santa Croce, at a place now called Quaregna.
The Cocceian family had a villa where is now the church
of Santa Maria di Carciano. The Emperor Nerva was of
this family, and his adoptive son, Trajan, used to make
frequent visits to this villa accompanied by his future
successor, Adrian, who took such an affection for the place,
that he is said at that time to have formed the plan of
building a magnificent villa on the territory of Tibur, which
he afterwards executed with so much success.
235
VILLA OF MECJENAS, AFTERWARDS OF AUGUSTUS C^SAR.
This immense building, the ruins of which still extend to
a very considerable length, and present the most picturesque
aspect that can be imagined, was erected by Mecaenas the
friend and confidential minister of Augustus, who, although
he was a refined politician, loved ease, retirement, and
literary leisure, as well as his master, but had not an equal
taste for simple manners and unadorned dwellings. —
It is however probable that his villa was more remarkable
for beauty of situation, elegance of architecture, and conve-
iiiency of distribution, than for splendour and sumptuous-
ness; and it may rather be supposed that, as he left it to
Augustus, the heirs and successors of that prince adorned
and enlarged it: but this is mere conjecture. ,— .
The remains give a great idea of its magnificence; and,
as Mecaenas liked to be reminded of his descent from the
ancient monarchs of Etruria, he might perhaps, in his
country residence, deviate from the rules of moderation
and frugality which appear to have been in fashion at the
court of Augustus.
The substructions of this villa are to be seen on the side of
the hill to the north; they consist of vast rooms and arches,
through which passed the road called Via Valeria : this place
has now the name of Porta Oscura.
Above these foundations, as may easily be discovered
from the remains, were two rows of columns, one of the
Doric, and the other of the Ionic order, which formed two por-
ticoes round the whole of the building, whence the view of
ancient Latium as far as the sea-coast to the south, that of
H H 2
2S6
Sabina to the west, to the north the hills which screen thor
valley, and, to the east, an extensive plain with the- ter-
ritories of Praeneste, Tusculum, and Gabia, must have ren-
dered this villa peculiarly delightful in point of situation.
Between these two porticoes were chambers in which there-
does not appear the vestige of a window, and they could only
have received light from the door5 which opened into the
portico.
In the centre of the villa was an edifice of considerable
height, where Mecasnas resided with his family. Here was-
a most curious fountain, and, indeed, every thing that coukl
contribute to the comforts of life ; while he enjoyed the
society of Horace, Virgil, and other men of letters, who
either staid at his house, or had villas in the neighbourhood.
Mecaenas received frequent visits from Augustus at Tibur,
and, as we have said, bequeathed to him, at his death, this
beautiful mansion with an estate annexed to it.
It is scarcely possible, however, that, in its highest state of
perfection, this villa could have been so picturesque as it
now appears in ruins: particularly when it is seen, with the
lesser cascades beneath it, from the opposite bank of tite
Teverone.
QUINTILIOLUM, OR VILLA OF C^INTILIUS VARUS.
Near the small church and hermitage called La Madonna
di Quintiliolo, are grottoes and remains of walls,, which were
formerly part of the magnificent house belonging to Quin»-
tilius Varus, and still retain his name.
The peasants of Tivoli relate, that a young shepherdess^
keeping her flock in the vicinity of this place, heard herself
237
caHed from one of the grottoes, and found that the voice pra-
eeeded from a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall^ (of
which there are several executed in the lower ages,) and that
it commanded her to go to Tivoli, and inform the bishop
that &he, the Madonna, was weary of lixing in this grotto, and
desired that a church might be built for her on the hiJL
The girl, it seems, after some hesitation, obeyed; and, witk
the assistance of her patroness, crossed the water without
wetting her feet, arrived at the bishop's palace, and delivered
her message. He cheerfully complied with the injunction,
and the church was soon erected. Two hermits still do duty
here on Sundays and ather festivals,, during the nine months
in which the picture of the Madonna makes it her residence;
but she passes March, April, and May, at Tivoli; after
which time, if she were not brought back to Quintiliolo, the
peasants assert and believe that she would find her w^ay
alone, but indignant..
These ruins are nearly opposite to the lesser cascades, and
to the villa of Mecaenas. Enough is left to prove that the
building was a quadrangle, nearly equilateral,, ornamented
with columns, and extremely magnificent- Several plans
have been taken from it, and there is no doubt of the sump-
tuous appearance it must have made when entire. The
substructions give a great idea of it, and the pavements
found here are composed of the most valuable materials.
The groves, fountains, gardens, and orchards, which sur-
rounded the house, are described as beautiful in the highest
degree; and, it is needless to add, that the view from the
upper rooms must have been truly sublime.
. Quintilius Varus, the intimate friend and relation of
238
Augustus Coesar, was a man of cultivated understanding and
a protector of poets. He does not appear to have been a
great general, his camp was full of Greek philosophers; and
he rendered himself and his countrymen odious to the Ger-
mans, by his endeavours to introduce the laws and tribunals
of Rome into that warlike country, where he had the com-
mand of three legions. He was also suspected of avarice,
a fault not uncommon in the Augustan age. He was
surprised in a narrow pass called Teutoburgium by Arminius,
chief of the Cheruscans, whom he had not suspected of
hostile intentions, and fell, with his three legions, in the year
of Rome 741, much regretted by the emperor, who, however,
appears to have felt more for the loss of so considerable an
army than for that of his friend.
VILLA OF VENTIDIUS BASSUS.
Beyond the hill, where are the remains of the villa of
Quintilius Varus, is a place called Midriano, with the ruins
of ancient buildings, supposed, by the historians of Tivoli,
to have belonged to Ventidius Bassus, a man of low extrac-
tion but great fortitude and energy of mind, who served long
mider Mark Antony, and was by him promoted to the first
rank in the army. He was sent into Asia, where he gained
a complete ^^ictory over the Parthians, the nation of all
others at that time most formidable to the Romans. He
triumphed by a decree of the senate, and it is said that a
man went before his car proclaiming aloud, that he who was
once a groom was now a consul.
He acquired also great riches, as may naturally be sup-
posed, in his Asiatic expedition, and he spent a considerable
239
p^rt of them on this villa, where, as Appian tells us, Mark
Antony used frequently to come for relaxation. Cicero also
mentions it in his letters to Atticus.
It is impossible to have read Shakespeare and Dry den,
without feehng for the character of Ventidius a partiality
which history affords us no reason to disavow. Many of
the followers of Antony were men of distinguished merit and
abilities, and wanted only the poets, favourers of the con-
trary party, to transmit their names, with well-earned praise,
to posterity.
VILLA OF MUNACIUS PLANCUS.
Lucius MuNACius Plancus, originally of Tibur, was
an orator and disciple of Cicero, but a man of no principle.
He attached himself successively to all who were in power,
enjoyed great dignities, and must have been immensely rich,
if wx may be allowed to judge of his fortune by his expences.
He had a palace, groves, and fish-ponds at Tibur, but in
what situation is not known. It does not appear that either
he, or Quintilius Varus, derived much happiness from the
favours of fortune and Augustus; as we find Horace, in the
odes he addresses to them, advises a moderate use of wine to-
relieve their cares. In that to Munacius Plancus he says:
** Seu te fulgentia signis
Castra tenent: seu densa tenebit
Tiburis umbra tui*.'*
** Whether the camp, with banners bright display'd, ,
Or Tibur hold thee in its thick- wrought shade." Francis.
* Ode eighth, or continuation of the seventh, book i.
4-
240
Which is nearly the only memorial remaining of his magni-
ficent villa.
VILLA OF RUBELLIUS PLANCUS.
This family had large possessions in the vicinity of Tibur
(luring the reign of Nero: the Roman people who, from the
appearance of a comet, expected the death of that prince,
fixed in their minds on Rubellius Plancus as his successor,
on account of his singular virtues and good qualities. They
were confirmed in this idea, by the accident of a flash of
lightning striking the table while the emperor was at dinner
near Sublacum.
These circumstances, officiously related to Nero, alarmed
his suspicious temper, and he wrote to Plancus, desiring him
to retire to an estate he had in Asia; which command he
obeyed, taking with him his wife Antistia, and his family;
but he was soon after put to death by order of the emperor.
He was nearly related to the Caesarian famil}^, as his mother
was Julia, the daughter of Drusus.
The villa of this Rubellius Plancus, (or Plantus, as he is
called by some authors,) was situated at the back of the hill
which overlooks the valley, in the place called Qiiaregiia, a
vineyard belonging to the Dnke of Braschi, nephew of the
late pope, which was formerly the property of the Jesuits.
VILLA OF HORACE.
It is generally supposed that the villa which IIoi"acc chiefly
inhabited during summer, Avas that he possessed at Tivoli,
and antiquaries place it near the church of St. Antony on
the opposite bank of the Teverone ; where are still the
241
remains of porticoes and a path down to the river. He had
here a grove dedicated, not in vain, to the Muses, and, as he
tells us^ preferred Tibur to all other places.
It is believed that, not far from hence, was the dwelling of
Cinthia, the favourite of Propertius.
VILLA OF CATULLUS.
Beyond Porta Valeria, towards the monastery of St.
Michael the archangel, are considerable vestiges of ancient
buildings along the side of the hill, and various fragments of
marble, mosaic pavements, and other remains of antiquity,
have been found there. The place is called Truglia, which
is thought, according to the pronunciation of the country, to
be derived from Catulli.
This poet had indeed a house and garden in the neigh-
bourhood of Tibur, but probably nothing very splendid.
He says, that his enemies pretended it was in Sabina. The
river Anio parted Latium from Sabina, so that whatever was
to the right of this river could not, strictly speaking, be
denominated Tibur, although, from its vicinity, this spot
might undoubtedly be accounted so.
Catullus, with his usual pleasantry, insinuates that, as
Tibur was the fashionable place for villas, those who wished
to torment him would not allow that he lived in such good
compan}^, but turned him over to the rustic Sabines.
He rejoices in having lost his cough in this place; and
there was a fountain of excellent water which is still es-
teemed the best in this neighbourhood, and which, by the
means of aqueducts, still to be seen in ruins, supplied after-
wards the villas of Horace and Quintilius Varus.
1 1
242
This fountain is about 300 yards distant from the bank of
the river, by a steep declivity. The spot is wonderfully
picturesque, and the murmur of the waters is said to have
been very grateful to Catullus.
Martial, as he tells us, had a country-house in this neigh-
bourhood, and sold it to Matho.
VILLA OF MANLIUS VOPISCUS.
•Manlius Vopiscus was a celebrated poet in the reign
of Domitian, who patronized and enriched him to a great
degree. Statins, in his first book of Sylvae, gives a magnifi-
cent description of a villa possessed by this man at Tibur,
and is so minute in his account of it, that there renriains
scarcely a doubt of its being the same as is now to be seen
in ruins near the great cascade and temple of the sibyl.
The statues, fme pavements, fountains, groves, and gardens,
must have been worthy of imperial munificence, and in the
centre of the house was an aged tree which lifted its shadowy
branches through an aperture in the roof, and was preserved
with great care and veneration.
We may easily believe that Statins described with little
exaggeration the beauties of this place, and poetry itself can
scarcely do justice to the charms of its situation.
Ilia recubat Tiburnus in umbra,
lUic sulfureos cupit Albula mergere crines.
Hscc domus, &c.
Beneath this shade Tiburnus loves to rest, .
And Albula her locks sulphureous lave;
For this fair mansion Phcebe might desert
Egeria's grove, and Pan his Lycian woods.
Hither Prjgneste's sisters would resort, &c«
243
MODERN VILLAS AND CHURCHES
AT
T I V O L L
VILLA D'ESTE.
1 HIS villa was built by Cardinal Hippolito d'Este in the
early part of the sixteenth century, and was, no doubt, the
wonder of the age in which it was completed; for nothing can
exceed the number of fountains and every kind of decoration
that render it remarkable. We may also conclude that this
cardinal, who was so much celebrated by Ariosto, was a
man of taste and genius; but the style of laying out grounds
is now so different, that the gardens appear to us more cu-
rious than pleasing: the groups of pines and cypresses are
however wonderfully fine, and add greatly to the picturesque
aspect of Tivoli. In this repect these gardens are far superior
to those of Versailles, Marly, and all the works of Le Notre,
which are allowed to be imitations of Villa d*Este.
The palace is large, and ornamented with paintings in
fresco. As it is situated on the side of the hill, there is a
communication from the apartments on the third floor with
the church of St. Francis in the upper part of the town, but
the gardens are on a level with the lower entrance.
There are jets d'eau, cascades, and other water- works of
every description; amongst the rest, a long walk in which
ii2
are forty-eight fountains, with bas-reliefs representing sub-
jects taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Added to these
a colossal statue of the Tiburtine Sibyl, a Pegasus, and an
assemblage of small buildings, erected to resemble the anti-
quities of Rome, are the chief objects worthy of remark.
VILLA RIGNANO.
This villa was built by Cardinal Cesi, who placed over
the doors of most of the apartments Latin inscriptions, se-
lected from Horace, Ovid, Virgil, Propertius, Martial, SiUus
Italicus, and Statins; in short, from all the classic authors
who have spoken of Tibur.
The gardens and the yrood beyond them exhibit pic-
turesque views of the country. In the latter is an old
Gothic castle with four turrets, now inhabited only by snakes
and scorpions, but formerly a residence of the popes; on a
marble tablet, over the gate, is the following inscription,
placed there by Sixtus IV. |v f. ,
" Grata bonis, invisa malis, inimica superbis, sum tibi
Tibure; en Pius sic instituit?"
" Grateful to the good, odious to the wicked, inimical to
the proud, I am to thee Tivoli : was this the institution of Pius ?
Near this place is Porta Carciano, and a bridge over the
road which joins one of the turrets, and has an excellent
effect in the landscape.
VILLA SANTA CROCE.
Villa Santa Croce belongs to the prince of that name,
and commands a most extensive and beautiful view. It is
situated out of the gate which has the same appellation^ and
2
245
the road called Strada di Carciano leads to it, and is con-
tinued to some distance under the grove of olive-trees which
shade the greatest part of this hill. It is almost the only
level space of ground for airings in this country.
In the house there is nothing remarkable except medal-
lions in fresco of Horace, Meca^nas, Syphax, and others who
had villas at Tibur. Behind it is a pleasing garden.
Near it is a large building which formerly belonged to the
Jesuits, and is converted into a seminary for the education
of young men intended for the church. The vineyards and
olive-grounds which were annexed to it, are now the property
of Duke Braschi, nephew of the late pope.
The order of the Jesuits was introduced here in 1548, and
approved by Pope Paul III., who was at that time residing
in the old castle above described, called La Rocca. The
church and college were dedicated to St. Getulius and St.
Simphorosa, with their seven children, natives of Tivoli.
CHURCHES OF TIVOLI.
There are nine parishes at Tivoli, and several convents
and monasteries. The inhabitants of this little city relate,
that during the reign of the Emperor Decius, in the year
253 of our oera, a young lady of noble extraction, named
Victoria, was warned by an angel to consecrate herself
to heaven: she was however engaged to Eugenius, a young
patrician, who opposed her desire of obeying the warning;
she was persecuted by government, and was sent to a villa
at Tivoli, where she was confined with the intention of com-
pelling her by hunger to give up her religious design. They
add, that a poisonous dragon at that time infested the
246
neigh bpuihood, that Victoria promised to suV)due it on
condition that the Tiburtines would become Christians, and
that she obliged him to leave the cave which he inhabited,
and abandon the territor}? which he had annoyed.
The learned Baroniiis asserts, that, in consequence of this
event, Queen Zenobia became one of the numerous converts
which it occasioned.
Victoria, it is said, took possession of the dragon's cave,
and inhabited it for some time with nine other young women,
whom she persuaded to embrace a monastic life; but their
society afterwards becoming more numerous, a convent was
erected, where she lived with her nuns, until Eugenius re-
newing his persecutions, and endeavouring to compel her
to sacrifice to Vesta, she was, on her refusal, condemned to
be beheaded, and the sentence was executed on the 23d of
December, a day on which her festival is now celebrated.
Whatever was the cause of the first conversion of the
people of Tivoli from idolatry, it appears certain that, under
Constantinc, the temple of Hercules became a Christian
church. It was dedicated to St. Laurence, and, as far as we
can judge from the remaining descriptions of its form and
beauty, much of the ancient building, and particularly a great
portion of its ornaments, was retained according to the cus-
tom of those times. This church falling at length com-
pletely into ruins, a new cathedral was erected by Cardinal
Julius, Bishop of Tivoli, in 1635. It has six chapels hand-
somely adorned, and in one of them is a picture of the
Madonna, held in high veneration. It is one of those said
to be painted by St. Luke, and was given to the old church
by Pope Gregory IX. of the Conti family, in the year 1232.
247
Cardinal Marcellus Santa Crocc, in 1657 1 added great cm-
bellisiiments to this cathedral, adjoining to which is the
bishop's palace. Some opulent families reside constantly at
Tivoli, and the place is much frequented by villeggianti in
spring and autumn.
The territory is fertile, and every kind of production
abounds here; more especially olives and apples, as in the
time of the ancient Romans, and a species of grape called
Fizzutello which is excellent for the table, besides others
more proper for making wine» The pigeons of Tivoli are
much esteemed.
Various mills are turned by the Teverone for the use of
iron works, paper manufactories, and oil presses. Gun-
powder is made in the villa of Mec?enas,
243
VICOVARO AND SAN COSIMATO.
:>(j
±- 'J >
> ' 1 > > > »
U9
vent inhabited by twenty friars who never leave this plaoe,
although the air is very unhealthy in summer and autumn.
They have a garden on the summit of the rock, of which
cypresses are the principal ornaments.
Below the rock is a bridge which formerly composed part
of an aqueduct, and near it are the vestiges of one still more
ancient. The descent from the convent to the river is by
steps cut in the rock, and almost perpendicular. It is also
necessary to pass over a wooden bridge of no great solidity,
under which is a formidable chasm; and, during the whole
of this descent, the noise of the Teverone, flowing like a
torrent through the contracted valley beneath, occasions
sensations of alarm and trepidation, which are perhaps in-
creased by the solitary appearance of the surrounding sce-
nery. In the rock are several grottoes and caves, formerly
residences of the monks; and in some of them are to be seen
heaps of skulls and bones, remains of the Saracens who were
killed in an action fought in this neighbourhood. There is
also a small chapel formed in one of the caves, the origin
of which is attributed, by the Franciscans, to the folio win »•
circumstance :
They say, that St. Benedict being invited 'to govern the
anchorites, for a long time refused to become their superior,
under an apprehension that they would not submit to his
regulations; that he however at length consented, and under-
took the difficult task of reforming them; in which he met
with so much opposition, that he was obliged to use rigorous
means to enforce their obedience; in consequence of which
they entered into a conspiracy against him, and one of them
was deputed by the rest to administer poison to him; when
K K
250
the saint, being miraculously informed of their wicked intea-
tio|is, dashed the cup to the ground, and ever after his flock
obeyed, without hesitation, all his injunctions. They assert,
that this was the cave in which the event took place, and
that it was consecrated as a chapel in honour of the saint.
Near the river are mills for grinding corn and olives, and
on the opposite side is a steep ascent to a wood which covers
the summit of the hill : the friars rarely venture to walk in it,
as they know it is infested by wolves of an enormous size,
descended no doubt from those described by Horace; and,
as they are not allowed to divert their fears by musing on
the attractions of a Lalage*, they prudently confine them-
selves to the safer bank of the Teverone, and count their
beads to the hoarse murmur of its waves, in one of the wildest
spots that is to be seen in this part of Italy.
The romantic beauties of San Cosimato are not the only
motives to induce a traveller to visit this neighbourhood:
within sight of this convent is Cantalupo, a fief of the
Marchese Nunez, whence the eye commands a delightful
chain of hills, under which flows the river Licenza, anciently
Horace's Digentia, where antiquaries still suppose they can
ascertain the situation of his farm, and behold the vestiges
of the temple of Vacuna, and the evergreen oak hanging
over the fountain of Bandusia; but as all these are in Sabina,
it would be exceeding the limits of this work to enter into
a minute description of them, and we refer the reader to
numberless treatises which have been written on the subject.
* Horace, ode xxii. book ^,
251
AMPIGLIONE, CASTEL MADAMA,
IMD
OTHER TOWNS NEAR TIVOLI.
EMPULUM, AMPIGLIONE.
1 HE city of Empulum is supposed to have been founded
by the Aborigines, nearly at' the same time that Tibur was
built by the Greeks. It was of great consequence in the
early ages of the Latian history, and was taken from the
Tiburtines, in the year of Rome 499, under the consulate of
C. Sulpitius and M. Valerius Publicola.
On the road from Tivoli to San Cosimato the traveller
perceives, at a little distance, Castel Sant' Angelo, or, as it
is more generally called, Castel Madama, seated on an
eminence, and very picturesque in its appearance. Near it
is a chain of high mountains, between which, on a gentle
elevation, are very extensive ruins of the ancient city of
Empulum not far from the road which leads to Sicilian©
and Subiaco: the beautiful vales which surround this de-
lightful eminence, the fruitfulness of the soil, the excellence
of the water, the variety of trees, and abundance of game,
which still render this spot one of the most advantageous
situations of the Campagna, must have been highly con-
ducive to the prosperity and comfort of its ancient inhabi-
K K 2
252
tants. The territory of Empulum, on one side, extended to
the banks of the Anio, and, on the other, to Sassula, a town
of the Tiburtiiies, now San GregoWo, taken by the Romans
the year after they became possessors of Empulum.
Considerable vestiges of ancient aqueducts are to be seen
near this place; and we know that they formerly supplied
not only the villas at Tibur, but Rome itself, with the Clau-
dian and Martian waters.
In the archives where descriptions of Ampiglione are to
be found, we learn that, even in the thirteenth century, it
was a most conspicuous city; that a magnificent palace and
fortress adorned it; and that without the walls were gardens
in which plane-trees, pines, cypresses, and oaks, afforded the
most pleasing shade, while delightful fountains added to the
beauty of the scene, and a menagerie and aviary, amply
stocked with the most curious birds and quadrupeds then
known in Europe, rendered it particularly interesting.
In the year 1251, when Alexander IV. was seated on the
papal throne, Octa\ io Orsini, a nobleman of high rank and
great influence, was lord of Ampiglione, where he chiefly
resided, though Vicovaro, Cantalupo, and San Gregorio,
also belonged to him. He had two daughters"; and Andrea
Manero, Lord of Saracinesco and Sambuci, who had two
grandsons, Pictro and Mario, proposed an alliance between
the families. Orsini at first appeared willing to comply with
the request, but afterwards, from we know not what motive,
altered his intentions, and informed Andrea that he had
otherwise disposed of his daughters. This change of conduct
excited great indignation in the breast of Manero, and ho
united himself in the strictest league with Alexander Massimi,
253
Lord of San VitQ, who was offended with the people of
Ampighone, because he had been attacked by robbers from
that town on his way to Rome.
The two enraged barons levied a considerable army with
the greatest secrecy, the place of rendezvous being the town
of San Vito: their plan was to surprise Ampiglione, but a
woman of that country, who happened to be at San Vito,
discovered their intentions, and found means to communicate
them to her sovereign.
Prepared to receive the enemy, Octavio and his subjects
made so vigorous a defence, that the combined forces of
Manero and Massimi were repulsed with considerable loss,
and Pietro, one of the grandsons ot Manero, with his squire,
was left dead on the field.
On the arrival of Manero at his town of Sambuci, whither
he retreated after the battle, he was so struck with its deso-
late appearance, and with the lamentations of the widows
and orphans whose husbands and fathers had lost their lives
in his quarrel; that, joined by his allies, he attempted a
second time to storm the city, but was again defeated, and,
in this unsuccessful attempt, Alexander Massimi received
a severe wound, which confined him for some time to his
castle of San Vito. '
Revenge was the vice of the times; and the resentment
of Alexander was increased by an accident, which happened
soon after he received his wound.
' He had sent one of his servants to Rome to purchase cloth
and other necessaries for his family : as this man was return-
ing to San Vito, he was attacked by the robbers of Ampig-
lione; his money, his horse, and all he had purchased at
7
254
Rome, were taken from him, and he was x^^mpelled to take
refuge in the town of his enemies.
As soon as Octavio Orsini was informed of this adventure,
he expressed the highest indignation, dispatched soldiers in
every direction, and at length secured the robbers, executed
them, and sent the servant back to Massimi, loaded with not
only what had been taken from him, but with additional
presents and letters to his master, justifying himself, and
lamenting the outrage committed by his subjects.
Massimi was however implacable, and again enrolled a
considerable body of men. He went to Tivoli and endea-
voured to persuade Cardinal Cesarini, bishop of that diocese,
to join him; but this respectable prelate, so far from com-
plying with his unjust request, took every possible measure
to dissuade him from gratifying his revenge, though, unfor-
tunately, without effect.
Massimi next applied to Sciarra Colonna, Lord of Pales-
trina, who willingly joined him, and, taking advantage of the
moment in which Orsini and most of the inhabitants of
Ampiglione were intent on the celebration of an annual
festival at the church of St. Martin, a little way out of the
city, they fell upon him suddenly from a neighbouring wood,
where they had concealed themselves to watch the oppor-
tunity, and put to death all they met without distinction of
age or sex. Octavio expired in the church; after which,
Sciarra and Massimi turned their arms against the city, and,
in the space of five hours, completely sacked it, carrying off
every thing that was valuable, even from the churches, and
destroying the buildings by fire.
255
It is said oulj three noblemen escaped the general massacre
and conflagration.
A party of Massimi's soldiers attacked the convent of
Valle Cotta, and took away the treasures of the church,
after killing the monks; but a dreadful storm of thunder and
lightning terrified them on their way home; and, many of
the soldiers being struck with lightning, Massimi began
to feel some remorse, and sent back the sacred ornaments;
yet we do not find that he quieted his conscience, for h*e
died soon after the gratification of his revenge; and the rest
of his army was almost completely consumed in an unsucr
cessful attempt on the neighbouring town of Minutolo, the
ruins of which are still to be seen on u hill between Tivoli
and Castel Madama. These horrid events took place in 1257.
It is interesting to consider the power and influence of the
Roman barons of those ages, and the respect paid to them
by the greatest sovereigns of Europe, and even by the popes,
their titular masters: let us, at the same time, reflect on their
violence and injustice, their ignorance and their barbarism,
compared with the mild benevolence, the polished manners,
and elegant acquirements, which characterize their descend-
ants. The revenues of these are employed, not in seditious
or revengeful expeditions, but in the protection and encou-
ragement of artists and men of letters, and in the main-
tenance of numerous domestics, who, when age renders them
incapable of serving, are allowed to repose beneath their
hospitable roofs, while the infants are educated under their
auspices, and at their expence. We see schools and colleges
endowed and supported by them, and strangers received at
their houses with splendour and courtesy ; yet we know that
256
they have lost all political influence, that their rank is
become merely nominal, and their names scarcely mentioned
beyond the limits of their own country. What must we
conclude from the comparison ? Shall we not say that
activity, whether employed for good or evil purposes, if
united with rank, wealth, and talents, will always command
respect and ensure celebrity; — and that, if nations or indivi-
duals suffer themselves to lose that energy which dignifies
existence, their other virtues will make no impression on
mankind, and they will either be neglected or oppressed by
those who once trembled before them ? The conduct of the
world in this respect is perhaps unjust, but it is unchange-
able; how necessary, therefore, that the temerity of daring
and restless guilt should constantly be opposed by the un-
ceasing exertions of active virtue!
We flatter ourselves, the reader will forgive this digression:
Italy presents awful lessons in every page of her history, on
every spot of her classic territory; and surely this is not
the age in which such lessons should be neglected, or studied
with indifference.
CASTRUM SANCTI ANGELI, CASTEL MADAMA.
The three nobles who escaped from the general destruc-
tion took refuge in Vicovaro, and deliberated what was to be
done for the re-establishment of the city. They consulted a
hermit who had a small chapel, named Sant* Angelo, on a
neighbouring hill, subject to the jurisdiction of Ampiglione;
and, despairing of being able to rebuild that city, they fixed
on this spot for their habitation, and obtained the permission
of Pope Urban IV., then reigning, to lay the foundations of
257
a town, which they called Sant' Angelo, from tlie hermitage
which they had found tliere. . .
• They brought workmen from Vicovaro, and, in the year
1268, twelve families were settled at Sant' Angelo: it .was
afterwards fortified with walls and turrets, and there lisjan
inscription on one of the gates, called Porta Levisa, which,
says, that it was erected by a Fortebraccio, of the Orsini
family, together with a castle and one of the suburbs in
1308. The number of inhabitants gradually increased under
the government of the Fortebracci till the year 1500, when
Alfonsina Orsini being married to one of the Medicis, this
fortress became part of her dower, as it was afterwards part
of the jointure settled on a natural daughter of the Emperor
Charles V. who married first into the house of Medici, and
secondly into that of Farnese. She was called Madama
d'Austria, and the fortress took, on that account, the name of
Castel Madama. The Pallavicini family afterwards became
possessors of it. We have already remarked, that the situa-
tion of this little town is peculiarly delightful.
SASSULA.
Sassula, now San Gregorio, derived its ancient name
from the rocky eminence on which it is seated: this place
was under the jurisdiction of the celebrated Cardinal Pio, who
made excellent roads to it, and added magnificent buildings.
SICILIANO. ^ ,
Not far from the ruins of Ampiglione is a very ancient
fortress called Siciliano, which name appears undoubtedly to
strengthen the belief that it was a town of the Sicanians, the
LL
358
primitive inhabitants of this country, who being driven out
of the plains by the Aborigines, tooic refuge on these moun-
tains of difficult access, as the ancient Britons settled them-
selves in Wales when the Saxons became masters of England.
This place belongs to the Teodoli family, as does Pisciano,
a village in the plain, anciently Vicus Pisonis, orPisonianum.
LONGULA, OR POLUSTRIA POLL
The ruins of the ancient city of Polustria, taken by Corio-
lanus, are still, in some measure, to be seen in the gardens
of the Duke of Poli, head of the Conti family, whose princi-
pal title is taken from this place, where he has a residence.
On the gate of entrance is an inscription, mentioning the
three names of this town : that of Longida was given to it for
the same motive as that which gave to Alba the epithet of
Longa, because it extended along the brow of a hill.
GUADAGNOLO.
GuADAGNOLO is another place belonging to the family of
Conti, and gives a title to the eldest sons of the Dukes of
Poli. Near this town, and that of Pisciano, is a very high
hill, called Voltorello, where tradition reports, that a miracu-
lous stag, with a crucifix between its horns, appeared to a
hunter named Placidus; the stag having bounded to a won-
derful height, whence the crucifix addressed him, command-
ing him to go to Rome, be baptised, and follow the plan of
life prescribed to him. Placidus obeyed, and assumed the
name of Eustatius. He was canonized, and the Emperor
Constantine erected a church on this rock in honour of him,
. 259
which was consecrated by Pope Silvester, under his invoca-
tion and that of the Virgin Mary.
This little church had fallen completely into decay and
oblivion, till its ruins were discovered by an antiquary, who
persuaded the then reigning Emperor Leopold I., the Duke
of :Bavaria, and others, to contribute to its restoration; on
which account it was rebuilt, and, at its first opening, a
great multitude of people assembled and partook of the
communion. It is now called La Madonna di Guadagnolo.
SAN VITO.
This town, situated on a hill about two miles distant
from the rock of St. Eustatius, belonged formerly to the
noble family of Massimi, and is now a fief of the Marquis
Teodoli: it is an arduous task to climb the streets, which
consist of stone steps, but the situation is picturesque and
delightful. There is a palace and a fine wood of elms, in
which are charming walks. The country round produces
excellent wine, and abounds in every thing except wheat.
The chesnut-trees in this neighbourhood are remarkably fine,
and bring in annually a very considerable sum to their
owner.
About a mile from hence is the commencement of the
river Liris, now the Garigliano, which liows tlirough the
kingdom of Naples into the Adriatic. To the west of the
town is a romantic valley with a cascade, forming a stream
of water which runs through the territory of Genazzano, and
joining another composed of seven rivulets, which issue from
sources in the mountain, takes the name of Garighano, and
becomes one of the most beautiful rivers in Italy. It is
L L 2
260
continually a motive of contention between the inhabitants
of San Vito and Genazzano to decide which of these territo-
ries may lay claim to the Garigliano.
iESULA.
This place, which, if we may believe Horace, was a favourite
residence of Mecaenas, appears to have been situated nearly
at the distance of five miles from Tivoli, where is now the
village of Corcollo, and a bridge over the river Veresis men-
tioned by Strabo.
MONTE SPACCATO.
This is an immense fissure in a rock, which is supposed
to have happened during the earthquake at the time of
our Saviour's passion. The aperture extends in a direction
from east to west, and forms a chasm the depth of which
has never been fathomed. A fig-tree is the mark which
leads to it; and the peasants assert, that a great number of
swallows enter this cavity towards the end of autumn, and
appear on the other side of the rock in the beginning of
spring.
A considerable quantity of manna and turpentine is yearly
collected in this neigh bo urheod.
261
CONCLUSION.
Italia, Italia ! O tu cui die la gorte
Dono infelice di bellezza, ond' hai
Funesta dote d'infinlti guaj,
Che 'n fronte scritta per gran doglia porte;
Deh! fossi tu men bella, o almeii piii forte *.
Ihe general appearance of the conntry which we have
endeavoured to describe, bears many traces of the barbarism
of its numerous invaders; yet it will have been observed,
that in the smallest towns, and even villages, the traveller
finds matter of astonishment and admiration, in the noble
structures and delightful gardens still remaining, as memo-
rials of the unrivalled beauty and splendour of this portion
of Italy: it is also to be remarked, that (amongst the many
peculiarities which distinguish it in the history of nations),
however oppressed or neglected, it has enjoyed the singular ad-
vantage of never having totally sunk into apathy and oblivion.
From the ruins of the Roman empire arose the papal
dominion, scarcely inferior to the former in power and in-
fluence, though founded on different principles; and when
the progress of the reformation, and the general change of
* Sonetto di Filicaja.
7
262
sentiments in Europe gradually lessened the respect so long
felt for this classic territory, the arts stepped in to support
and vivify their drooping country, and rendered it once more
the object of delight and veneration.
The states of Tuscany and Rome present a picture of
uninterrupted civilization for the space of little less than
three thousand years; a period without example in the
annals of any other people which have come to our know-
ledge. Greece and Africa are lost in ignorance and subjec-
tion. The names of Lycurgus and Solon sleep with those
of Aaron al Raschid and Almansor, unremembered by the
descendents of nations which, under their influence, subdued
or enlightened a considerable part of mankind. The most
polished states of modern Europe can date their civilization
from no very ancient period, when compared with that of
which we are now speaking.
The peasants of this country have expressive countenances
and regular features; a deformed person is scarcely to be
seen amongst them, and they are in general hardy and
cjieerful; quick of perception and capable of instruction:
their language is far superior, in choice of words and strength
of expression, to that commonly used in other nations by the
lower classes of the community. They have not the Tuscan
purity of diction, but they speak an Italian perfectly intelli-
gible to those who have only learned it from books, and
much more correct than is often spoken in very distinguished
circles of other states in Italy. They often allude to historical
facts or poetical images, which appear very astonishing to
strangers unaccustomed to hear similar remarks except from
the learned and elegant. They behave to their superiors
263
with great respect, and with much courtesy to foreigners.
In return they expect civihty, and highly resent the improper
language which travellers of many European nations are but
too apt to use towards the lower orders of society. In this
they are confirmed by the opposite practice of the Roman
nobility, who always address their tenants, and even their ser-
vants, in terms which a father might use to his children. The
common people remark, that the word " padrone *" is derived
from "padre-fV' and that, consequently, they owe him filial
obedience, as his duty is to grant them parental protection.
This strongest of all ties seems to have resisted even the
baneful influence of revolutionary poison; for we do not find
that the peasants of the Roman states, in one single instance,
trod under foot the sacred bond which united them to their
protectors.
They were indeed most willing to defend their country,
their families, and their religion, against unprovoked aggres-
sion; when, in the year 1793, government summoned them
to arms, they flew to join the papal standard, and their be-
haviour during the tumults, raised at different times in the
capital by the artifices of the enemy, was uniformly correct
and intrepid. When forced to lay down their arms by the
command of the same government, which expected to find
its safety in pacific measures, they obeyed with the greatest
reluctance. Afterwards, when their sovereign was led into
captivity, and their country became the prey of a lawless
invader, indignant at his insults, they rose to protect their
wives and children: they fought; and thousands of them fell
* "Master." f «« Father.'*
nAf^
in an attempt which would not have been unsuccessful, had
not the enemy possessed advantages which courage alone
could not withstand. But we will draw the veil over their
miseries of 1798: — freed, in the ensuing year, by English
valour and English disinterestedness, the remnant of this
unhappy people returned to their former occupations, bless-
ing the only conquerors who had gratuitously assisted
them.
The Roman peasants have not the reputation of being
industrious, but their numbers are scanty, and they cultivate
sufficient ground to maintain themselves. Their delight is
to ornament the churches, or at least the altar of some
favourite saint, with flowers raised in their little gardens, and
wax lights, the produce of their savings. Indeed in this
respect alone they are provident; they have not the slightest
idea of hoarding, but enjoy the present moment without
thinking of the morrow. A fine climate has the double ad*-
vantage of guarding its inhabitants from many of the wants
and miseries incidental to human nature, and of exhilarating
their spirits, so as to enable them to pursue the path allotted
to them with a confidence undiminished by atmospherical
depression.
Conversation is their chief amusement, and the men enjoy
it over a flask of wine at the " osteria," or seated on wooden
chairs placed circularly round a stand where water-melons
are sold. The women sit at their doors, spinning and singing;
but, in the evening, all join in walking through the streets of
the towns, or, in the country, go home to their cottages from
work, singing in parts or in chorus, while one or two play on
the guitar.
265
It is an error to suppose that the Italians of the lower
<3rder are not fond of win€: a man of education would be
ashamed of apjyearing intoxicated, but it is not so with the
peasants; and the disputes which arise amongst them are
usually occasioned by this unhappy propensity: cards and
jealousy will sometimes produce the same effect, and too
often the consequences are fatal; but assassinations, for the
purpose of depredation, are very uncommon in this part of
Italy; indeed scarcely ever committed by a native. The
highways are safe, antl the little precaution taken to secure
houses, even in the capital, proves that robberies are not
frequent. The women are sober, and, in some places, very
industrious: they are in general good wives, and excellent
mothers.
If these peasants are superstitious, their ideas on the sub-
ject are by no means gloomy: their evening walks are not
disturbed by the apprehension of spectres; they have no fear
of witchcraft; no fanatical despondency; no uncharitable
dislike of other human beings. Their greatest pleasures arise
from the festivals of their church, and they are regular in
their attendance on Sundays, without being deterred by
distance or bad weather.
The secular clergy possess very little in the pope's states.
The revenues of a cardinal's bishopric seldom, if ever, exceeds
what he gives annually to the poor of his diocese. The in-
comes of other sees are very moderate, and canons, vicars,
and curates, are merely above want. Monasteries are more
opulent; particularly those of the Benedictine and other
similar orders : but the monks are usually good landlords, and
tlie cottagers are attached to them.
M M
265
Hermitages are often seen in the "Campagna;'* they arc
generally very picturesque, and are almost always formed
amidst the ruins of some ancient building: the hermits gain
much from the common people by apparent or real devotion,
but it is usually suspected that they are doing penance for
the wickedness of their past lives, or concealing themselves
from the eye of justice. They are commonly strangers, and
in particular Frenchmen, Solitude and seclusion are so
unnatural to an Italian, that he is very apt, and perhaps not
without reason, to suspect the principles of a man who
excludes himself from social comforts and duties.
The Romans, as is well known, were never fond of dancing:
the ancients considered it as a degrading amusement, and,
amongst the moderns, it is rather an acquired taste than a
natural inclination. It is therefore little practised in the
•* Campagna," though so near the kingdom of Naples, where
the peasants beguile the tedious way by dancing the " taran-
tella" for the space of seven or eight miles. Here there is no
national dance, and, even at fairs, music, conversation, and
the table, are the only entertainments.
The time of vintage is a season of much festivity with
Romans of the second and third classes of society, by which
are understood persons who, without being noble, subsist on
their own property, and those who are maintained by respect-
able trades or professions. These have usually vineyards in
the "Campagna," with a "casino" to which they come to make
their wine, receive much company, and live at considerable
expence during the month of October, and sometimes No-
vember, when the olives are gathered, and the oil is made. A
circular space is cleared and levelled round each of the trees,
•267
^nd tlie olives wlicn ripe fall into it The women and child-
ren pick them up and carry them in baskets to the presses,
whence the oil is extracted with very little trouble, and forms
a considerable part of the income of those who have estates
in this country. The consumption of it is so general, both
for light and for the table, that a scarcity of it would be as
much felt as that of bread.
This country produces excellent fruit, vegetables, and al-
most every species of grain. In the lower grounds are great
plantations of Turkish wheat, which grows to a considerable
height, and is useful for various purposes. The stalks of it
form canes for the support of the vines, and they are also
used in the construction of cottages; as the leaf serves for
thatching them, and is likewise employed for mattrasses: the
flower composes various dishes, which are eaten by all ranks
of people, and it is accounted particularly wholesome and
nutritive.
With these advantages, and very little inconvenience from
taxes, the peasants of the pope^s states are comfortable and
happy : they scarcely ever appear discontented, except some-
times in the neighbourhood of the few places most frequented
by " villeggianti.'* There the hope of greater gain, and the
sight of greater luxury, corrupt the simplicity of their man-
ners, and render them less capable of enjoying their usual
placid and unambitious existence.
On the whole an attentive examination of this small por-
tion of Italy will give, to an intelligent traveller, a very com-
petent idea of the state of this country at different periods of
its history. At Porto and Nettuno he will trace the vestiges
of Roman harbours, and at Tivoli and Castel Gandolfo tha
t6S
remains of villas and palaces. At Palestrina he will not only
see the ruins of one of the most magnificent temples of an-
cient Latium, but he will judge of the power and splendour
of the Roman barons in after ages by the sight of one of
their noblest castles. At Grotta Ferrata he will observe a spe-
cimen of monastic opulence, and at San Cosimato and Rocca
del Papa examples of conventual austerit}'. At Prascati he
will conceive a just idea of the beauty and elegance of the
more modern Italian villas, and, in all his researches, he will
find innumerable proofs of the good sense and energy of
the ancient Latins, .and of the taste and genius of th^ix
descendants.
^HE ENB.
Strahan and Preston,
Ktw-Street Square, London.
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