Italian Villas: Ancient Rome to The Renaissance

This two-term course will trace the development of villas and villeggiatura – the ruling classes’ ‘good life’ in the country from Ancient Rome to the end of the Renaissance. The first term will lay out the historical and literary foundations of villa culture in Antiquity and will consider archaeological evidence, such as Nero’s Golden House and Hadrian’s villa in Tivoli. Then with the disintegration of the Roman Empire villa culture disappeared, only to re-emerge in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with the Medici in Florence leading the revival of villa building, garden design and country living in a Classical spirit. The second term will study villeggiatura in the sixteenth-century, focusing on the Veneto and on the Roman Campagna. Many of the huge agricultural estates of the former are dominated by the elegant mansions of star architect Andrea Palladio, while the papal summer retreats of the latter are characterised by stunning gardens, such as Villa d’Este at Tivoli or Villa Lante at Bagnaia. Part I: 4 weeks, Tuesdays, 14 October – 4 November 14 Part II: 4 weeks, Tuesdays, 3 February – 3 March 15 (Half term: 17 February) Course Leader: Dr Joachim Strupp, Art Historian

Suitable for


Admission
£400, £340 concessions for Part I & II £200, £170 concessions for Part I or II

Website
http://www.vam.ac.uk/whatson/event/3476/italian-villas-ancient-rome-to-the-renaissance-4959/

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//se000168?id=EVENT491818