The Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este in Tivoli, with its palace and garden, is one of the most remarkable examples of Renaissance culture. Its architecture includes fountains and ornamental basins of an Italian 16th-century garden. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
Originally conceived in the 16th century by Pirro Ligorio for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, the Fountain of Neptune was part of a grand vision to transform a Benedictine monastery into a lavish villa that would reflect the cardinal’s power and artistic sensibilities.
Ligorio, a renowned architect, was invited to create a space that harmonized with the grandeur of ancient Roman villas. His Fountain of Neptune was designed to serve as a dramatic focal point.
The next step occurred in the 17th century, when Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the masters of the Baroque movement, created a cascade system that incorporated water flowing over grottoes and descending into a basin below.
By the 1930s, much of Bernini’s work had fallen into neglect, when architect Attilio Rossi incorporated new hydraulic technologies of the time, which allowed higher, more forceful jets of water. Rossi’s work, while modernizing the fountain, stayed true to its historical roots.
The Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este in Tivoli, with its palace and garden, is one of the most remarkable examples of Renaissance culture. Its architecture includes fountains and ornamental basins of an Italian 16th-century garden. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001.
Originally conceived in the 16th century by Pirro Ligorio for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este, the Fountain of Neptune was part of a grand vision to transform a Benedictine monastery into a lavish villa that would reflect the cardinal’s power and artistic sensibilities.
Ligorio, a renowned architect, was invited to create a space that harmonized with the grandeur of ancient Roman villas. His Fountain of Neptune was designed to serve as a dramatic focal point.
The next step occurred in the 17th century, when Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the masters of the Baroque movement, created a cascade system that incorporated water flowing over grottoes and descending into a basin below.
By the 1930s, much of Bernini’s work had fallen into neglect, when architect Attilio Rossi incorporated new hydraulic technologies of the time, which allowed higher, more forceful jets of water. Rossi’s work, while modernizing the fountain, stayed true to its historical roots.