A Renaissance garden built around a journey of water
At Bagnaia, a village a few kilometres from Viterbo, Cardinal Gianfrancesco Gambara commissioned in the 1560s, probably from Vignola, a summer residence that is one of the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance garden. Instead of a single large palace, there are two small twin pavilions, the Palazzine, so as not to steal the scene from the garden.
The heart of Villa Lante is a path of water that descends the hillside in a series of terraces, telling an allegory of the passage from the wild state of nature to human civilisation: from the Fountain of the Deluge at the top, through the catena d'acqua, a cascade shaped like a long crayfish, the emblem of Gambara, and the Fountain of the Giants and the cardinal's stone table with a channel of water to cool the wine, down to the great square parterre with the Fontana dei Mori. Around it extends a park of oaks and plane trees.
Tip: the garden is managed by the state and can be visited on a short guided route; combine it with Bagnaia's medieval centre and Viterbo.
Where it is
More things to see in Lazio
Where to stay near Viterbo
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.