The name of Villa Balestra indicates today the homonymous urban park in Rome (Italy), located on the top of the tufaceous hill overlooking Viale Tiziano.

The present public garden occupies only a fairly small part of the original land of Villa Poggio, which constitutes its historical core.

The construction of the villa is due to the Bolognese cardinal Giovanni Poggio (also referred to as "Poggi"), who was the treasurer of the Apostolic Camera under Paul III and, being highly appreciated by the Pope, was subsequently sent to Spain for three years as nuncio, to collect «the spoils of all Spains» (a sort of general tax collector of the assets owed to the Pope) and then in Germany, which had recently become Lutheran.

From these nunciatures he returned a rich man and decided to invest in properties the resources he had accumulated; in Rome he built Villa Poggio, which however did not belong to him for long.

In 1964, the garden inspired the song L'orchestra di Villa Balestra, written by Renato Rascel for the musical comedy Il giorno della tartaruga by Garinei and Giovannini.