Villa Farnesina is a Renaissance building located in Trastevere, Rome that today houses the Lincei Academy.
Built from 1502 to 1512 by the young architect Baldassarre Tommaso Peruzzi for Agostino Chigi, Villa Farnesina, at the time known as Villa Chigi, fully captures the Renaissance period.
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The history of Villa Farnesina
When Chigi died in 1520, the Villa became the home of many pieces of art. In 1580 it was bought by cardinal Alessandro Farnese and that’s when its name was changed to Villa Farnesina. Later on, it became the property of the Borbone family and was restored multiple times until the opening of the Lungotevere in 1884 destroyed some of its gardens.
In 1927 it became the property of the Italian government and went on to be fully restored multiple times until it became the Lincei Academy.
The Raffaello’s frescoes
The most fascinating aspect of Villa Farnesina is definitely its decorations; the Villa is full of magnificent frescoes by painter Raffaello Sanzio, commissioned by Agostino Chigi.
One of the most magnificent ones is located in the “Loggia di Amore e Psiche”, on the ground floor of the Villa. Raffaello chose to paint a story on the walls of this salon that was meant to receive and surprise guests. With his frescoes, he told the fascinating and lovely story of “Amore e Psiche”.
Raffaello was not alone in this though… his students (Giulio Romano, Raffaellino del Colle, Giovan Francesco Penni) helped him paint and decorate this beautiful room.