Villa Mondragone

Visit the page on Tor Vergata for other notices, and take a virtual tour of the beautiful Villa Mondragone.

Venue

Villa Mondragone, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" - is located about 30 Km from Rome.

Dates

October 3-5, 2002. For those arriving on October 2 the registration desk will be open into the evening.

Villa Mondragone 

University of Rome "Tor Vergata" at Monteporzio Catone

The magnificent Villa Mondragone, looming up on a hill 416 m. above sea-level, lies in a scenic area, resplendent with old houses, near the ancient town of Tusculum, between the commune of Frascati and that of Monteporzio Catone to which it belongs. It is approached from the via Tuscolana, about 21 Km. along the route from Frascati to Monteporzio. 

The beautiful 18-hectare estate has a magnificent view towards Rome. At the center of the park, in a dominating position, rises this imposing Villa of about 80,000 cubic metres. 

The Villa Mondragone has a long and venerable history. Building started in 1567 when the young Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps, beloved nephew of Pope Pius IV, bought a villa from Ranuccio Farnese, Cardinal of Sant'Angelo. This villa, known as Angelina from the Cardinal's title, previously had been the property of Cardinal Ricci of Montepulciano. It was renamed the Villa Tusculana; later, after the construction of the present Villa Mondragone, it became known as the Villa Vecchia (the Old Villa). 
At first, Cardinal Altemps decided only to enlarge the pre-existing Villa Tusculana under the supervision of the architect Jacopo Barozzi from Vignola, ably supported by Martino Longhi from Viggiú. Once these extensions were completed , in 1571, Cardinal Ugo Boncompagni, who a few months later became Pope Gregorius XIII, stayed at the Villa for a prolonged period. He is credited with having suggested building a new, grand Villa on the hillock overlooking the Villa Tusculana, 
using, as its base, the impressive Roman ruins of the Villa of the Quintili (Roman Consuls in 151 A.D.) 

The name Mondragone refers to the heraldic dragon at the centre of the impressive coat of arms of the Boncompagni family. This emblem appears throughout various parts of the Villa and of the garden. 
In 1613, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, purchased the Villa Mondragone and the Villa Tusculana, together with other properties of the Duke Gian Angelo Altemps. There is documentation showing that between 1616 and 1618, the Villa Mondragone was substantially enlarged. This work was directed by the Flemish architect Jan van Santen, better known as Giovanni Vasanzio, whom Cardinal Borghese considered his design engineer of trust. 
Renovations were made to the inside of the Villa, in the Gallery between the Casino of Longhi, and the Retirata. , and also to the outside in the Great Garden, in the Porch, and in the Water Theatre. 

The death of Paul V brought to an end the most magnificent period of the Villa Mondragone. Thereafter, the maintenance of the group of buildings became too expensive, and thus, the decline of the Villa Mondragone started. 
In 1866, the estate and buildings were bought by the Jesuit Order. At first, they served as the foreign seat of the Ghisleri College; later, they were used as an exclusive boarding school. 
Over the following years, the entire property underwent further decline. This ended by its acquisition in 1982 by the University of Rome "Tor Vergata". The Monuments and Fine Arts Services in Lazio gave their approval to this acquisition considering that the interest of the new University of Rome was a sure signal of care for this historical property and restoration of its monumental prestige.