Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola: Villa Giulia, Rome 1551-53

Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola: Villa Giulia, Rome 1551-53

Temple of Alatri

Adolfo Cozza's reconstruction of the Etruscan temple at the Villa Giulia, Rome

Mysterious Creatures 2: Figures in Mannerist garden architecture

The Mannerist villas of Rome are populated with architectural hybrids, such as the caryatids of the Casino of Pius IV in the Vatican, above, and the herms in the screen of the Villa Giulia, below.

Mysterious Creatures

The nymphaeum of the Villa Giulia in Rome is the termination of the garden spaces of the villa. Its sunken position, with the grotto visible but not immediately accessible from the lower courtyard emphasises the apparent unapproachability of the female herms who merge with the architecture.