Villa Mondragone

It lies on a hill 416m above sea-level, in an area called, from its many castles and villas, Castelli Romani about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Rome, near the ancient town of Tusculum.

Construction began in 1573 by Cardinal Mark Sittich von Hohenems Altemps, who commissioned the design for it and for the Palazzo Altemps in central Rome from Martino Longhi the Elder, on the site of the remains of a Roman villa of the consular family of the Quinctilii.

[1] Villa Mondragone was at its maximum splendour during the epoch of the Borghese family (including Cardinal Scipione Borghese and Pope Paul V), who exhibited parts of their art and antiquities collections there (including the Antinous Mondragone which derives its name from the villa).

[1] Starting from 1626, Pope Urban VIII decided to leave Villa Mondragone in favour of the Papal residence of Castelgandolfo.

In 1858 George Sand was guest in the villa, and found there a suitable atmosphere for the setting of her novel La Daniella.