August 21, 2009. Villa d'Este, a World Heritage, plays one of the wonders of the world: the garden of Babylon. The mansion of Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, refuge of the composer Liszt and a Benedictine monastery hidden among gardens and fountains for more than eight centuries of history.
Ippolito II d'Este, who was appointed cardinal in 1539, was one of the most influential person in the French political and social life and one of the possible candidates for successor of Peter.
The Cardinal moved to Rome and was surrounded by artists and writers. There, Pope Julius III appointed him governor of the town of Tivoli, near Rome. This will also become the owner of the villa, which had been confiscated to the order of the Benedictines.
From 1550 until 1572 Cardinal rebuilt the village, trying to be faithful to the original. For this was surrounded by the best architects, sculptors and fresco painters of the era.
On the so-called ‘mountain of joy 'designed a garden with about 500 fountains and waterfalls that provide water through a hydraulic system invented in Roman times.
Since 1605, Cardinal Alexander East, new owner of the villa, improvement and refurbishment some of sources, with the help of sculptor Borromini.
However, in the eighteenth century, the town has deteriorated due to neglect. Her condition worsened with the arrival of the Dukes of Hasburgo, which took a lot of artwork.
The town had to wait for the arrival of Cardinal Gustav von Hohenlohe, in the mid-nineteenth century to regain its glory of the early years.
Following the statement of the First World War, this became the property of the Italian state and opened to the public.
In these spectacular gardens, includes a water-powered organ, the Hungarian musician Franz Liszt composed his piece for piano 'water games at Villa d'Este "and held one of his last concerts.
PVB/TJ
