Villa Farnesina is a Renaissance suburban villa built for Agostino Chigi, the wealthy banker Sienese and treasurer of Pope Julius II. The residence was built in 1506-1510 by the architect Baldassarr Peruzzi, supported by Giulian da Sangallo.
Chigi also ordered the decoration of the villa from artists such as Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo, Giulio Romano and Il Sodoma. The most famous are the frescoes of Rafael in the loggia depicting the classic and secular myths of Cupid and Psyche and Nymphs of Galatea.
In 1577, the villa became the property of the Farnese family, where its name comes from. Then the villa belonged to the Bourbons of Naples, and in 1861 to the Spanish ambassador in Rome, Bermudaza de Castro, Prince Ripalt. Chigi's residence was the seat of Accademia dei Lincei, a renowned Roman Academy of Sciences. Until 2007, the House also housed the Department of Drawings and Prints of the National Institute of Graphic Arts in Rome. The main rooms of the villa, including the loggia, are open to visitors.
Attractions inside
