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Villa Sacchetti at Castelfusano

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Villa Sacchetti in a 17th century painting

The Villa Sacchetti, also called Castello Chigi, is a historical building at Castelfusano, near Ostia Antica, Rome, Italy. It was built in 1624-1629 for the Sacchetti family, close associates of Pope Urban VIII, and was the first architectural work of Pietro da Cortona.[1] The villa is now known as Castello Chigi since its acquisition by the Chigi family in the 18th century.

Description

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The villa has a generally fortified appearance; it is block-like with corner bastions and has a belvedere terrace at the top; there were occasional attacks by pirates along the coast.[2] The plan layout, recorded in drawings by Pier Leone Ghezzi (circa 1735),[3] is simple and straightforward and lacks the formal inventiveness of Cortona's later architectural work, including the Villa Pigneto del Marchese Sacchetti.

The ground level has a central hall with staircase and was otherwise given over to service rooms. On the third level, there is a gallery spanning the length of the building with frescoes by Cortona and other artists of the time including Andrea Sacchi.[4] There is also a chapel decorated by Cortona.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Zirpolo Lilian H. "The Villa Sacchetti at Castelfusano: Pietro da Cortona's earliest architectural commission", Architectura 26, 1996, pp. 166-184
  2. ^ Merz J.M., Pietro da Cortona and Roman Baroque Architecture, 2008, p 11
  3. ^ Published in Merz, 2008, 11
  4. ^ See Zirpolo, Lilian H. "Images of Privilege and Power in Pietro da Cortona's Frescoes at The Villa Sacchetti at Castefusano", Gazette des Beaux-Arts 137, 2001, 115-138 or for a summary, Zirpolo Lilian H. Ave Papa Ave Papabile, the Sachetti Family, their art patronage and political aspirations, 2005, 79-85
  5. ^ Zirpolo, 2005, 85-92