The Belvedere Aldobrandini Villa in Frascati stands on the slopes of Mount Tuscolo, on the ruins of Latin and Roman structures. It is said that the famous Villa of Lucullus once stood there.

Recently, large squared stones from the pre-Roman era, possibly remnants of an Etruscan-Latin temple, were found in the Villa’s courtyard.

In the late 1500s, the land that now constitutes the Villa’s park, along with modest buildings, was acquired by Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini, the conqueror of Ferrara, as recalled by an inscription beneath the balustrade of the Nymphaeum. He constructed a grand building with fountains, depicted in prints, paintings, and reproductions across Europe.

The renowned architect Giacomo Della Porta designed the structure, which then was overseen by Carlo Maderno, who was also chief architect in the construction of the Basilica of St. Peter; while the fountains were deigned by Domenico Fontana. The Apollo Room or Parnassus Room gained great notoriety with its exquisite colorful mosaics, frescoes by Domenichino, and polychrome wooden statues of the Muses, Pegasus, and Apollo.

Upon the extinction of the Aldobrandini family, the Villa was contested between the Borghese and Pamphili heirs, ultimately remaining with the second-born branch of the Borghese family, who reclaimed the Aldobrandini name.

It was visited and praised by Goethe and dubbed “Regina Villarum” (The Queen of Villas) by many Grand Tour travelers. The Villa was visited by Popes, monarchs, presidents, and in 1921 by the British Royal family.

The Villa houses splendid frescoes by Cavalier d’Arpino and Domenichino, along with grass juice tapestries, reminiscent of Ginesio del Barba’s works. It also holds precious sculptures, including the statue of Pope Clement VIII by Taddeo Landini, the sculptor of numerous works in St. Peter’s Basilica.