Description of the attraction
Villa Cetinale is a luxurious 17th century estate located 12 km west of Siena in Sovicille. Initially, the estate was called Villa Chigi, as it was built for Cardinal Flavio Chigi, who, in addition to being the nephew of Pope Alexander VII, could boast the titles of Prince of Farnese, Duke of Ariccia and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. Once this villa was a very modest structure surrounded by agricultural land. In the middle of the 17th century, Fabio Chigi, who later became Pope Alexander VII, hired the architect Benedetto Giovannelli to construct a new building, which was built in 1651-1656. And in 1680, Flavio Chigi, who inherited the villa, invited Carlo Fontana to rebuild it in the Baroque style. After the death of the cardinal, the villa passed into the ownership of his family, Chigi-Dzondadari, who owned the estate for two and a half centuries.
Only in 1977, the villa, which was in a dilapidated state, was bought by the English politician Anthony Lambton, who tried to hide here from the scandal that erupted around his name - a few years earlier Lambton was caught with prostitutes and was forced to leave his post in the English parliament. Having meticulously restored the villa and the surrounding garden, he lived here until his death in 2006.
The garden of Villa Cetinale is simple in shape and consists of six alleys, stretching from the building to the secluded hermitage "Romitorio" on the hill. A huge statue of Hercules stands at the point where the alleys begin, and in front of the villa is a walled lemon garden decorated with statues of Mazzuoli. A double flight of stairs leads to the upper floor - the belvedere, while the first floor was occupied by utility rooms.
