The Villa Farnese at Caprarola, about 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Rome, was built on fortress foundations for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, though the text uses that name for two figures, so the attribution is ambiguous. Sangallo the Younger and Baldassare Peruzzi made early fortress designs. Vignola was commissioned in 1556, work began in 1559 and he worked until his death in 1573.
The style is Renaissance and Mannerist, in reddish gold stone and tuff. The plan is pentagonal around a circular colonnaded courtyard, and a moat has three drawbridges. The Scala Regia and the Sala del Mappamondo, completed in 1574, are principal interiors. The article gives no dimensions.
The estate passed to the Farnese Dukes of Parma, and the art collection moved to Naples. It is state property run by the Polo Museale del Lazio, and the main villa is open to the public. The casino and gardens are a residence of the Italian President.
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