The Villa Aldobrandini is the biggest tourist attraction of the city of Frascati. For people arriving in the city by bus or train from Rome, it is also the first important building they will encounter.
Villa Aldobrandini Frascati
Useful information
The address of the Villa Aldobrandini is Via Cardinal Guglielmo Massaia, 18 – 00044 Frascati (tel. +39 06 942 0331). Bus: Cotral from Anagnina. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 13:00 and from 15:00 till 18:00. Closed: Saturdays and Sundays. Entrance fee: Free of charge. NB: Only the gardens can be visited. The palace itself is private property.
Special Events Villa Aldobrandini
if you have a lot of money, you can organize big events and dinners at the Villa Aldobrandini. There are 300 seats inside, while the grounds of the villa can accommodate as many as 2,000 guests.
History
The Villa Aldobrandini is the most important Roman villa in Frascati. Because of its beautiful panoramic position it is sometimes called Belvedere.
Construction of the palace was commissioned by Alessandro Rufini in 1550. In 1598, Pope Clement VII had it completely restored and reconstructed by Giacomo della Porta. The Pope had it constructed for his favorite nephew, Pietro Aldobrandini.
Della Porta died before he could complete the renovation. After his death, Carlo Maderno and Giovanni Fontana completed the work.
Until 1681, the villa remained in the possession of the Aldobrandini’s after which it passed into the hands of the Pamphili’s due to the death of Olimpia Aldobrandini, then wife of Camillo Pamphili. In 1760, the last descendant of the Pamphili’s died and 9 years later the building became property of the Borghese.
What to see
Inside the palace, there are works of art by the most important Roman artists of the period, including Domenichino, Cavalier d’Arpino and the brothers Taddeo and Federico Zuccari. The “Ten Events from the Life of Apollo” were painted by Domenichino.
A large staircase leads through several regularly shaped terraces to the entrance of the villa.
The Teatro delle Acque Fountain decorating the grounds of the villa was designed by Carlo Maderno and Orazio Olivieri.