La Villa Farnesina

The Villa Farnesina (previously known as Villa Chigi) is located in the Trastevere, the district thought to be the oldest one in the city.

The villa was constrructed between 1508 and 1511, and commisioned by a papal banker from Sienna, Agostino Chigi. He was one of the most important personages of the then Rome - civilians gave him a nickname "Great". He loved arts, feasts and long disputes, therefore he was thought to be a real man of reneissance. The layout of the villa, which borders with Tiber, was conceived in a way to create a perfect place to meet needs of the body as well as the soul, according to ideas of that times.

The building was designed by the architect Baltazar Peruzzi, who created a relatively clear composition of semicircural plan. The decorations were designed to emphasize the unityu between internal elements of the villa and the outer world. A team of architects (Baltazar Paruzzio, Rafael Sanzio, Sebastian del Piombo i Sodoma)created one of the most superb examples of the connection of classical proportions and harmony in architecture. Because of that, the Villa Farnesina became one of the mayor examples of creating villas during the reneissance.

Rooms of the building are adorned with frescos depicting mythological scenes. The most famous one is "the Triumph of Galatea", painted by Rafael Santi in 1512, "Polif" by Sebastian del Piombo, and other paintings believed to be created by pupils of Rafael.

Nowadays, the villa is a property of the Deil Lincei academy, which from the 17th century has been promoting development of science. One of the first members was Galileo himself.