Pope Julius III, who took a direct interest in the design and decor, built Villa Giulia. Construction ran from 1551 to 1553. Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola made the initial design, including the urban front and the rear hemispherical loggia. Bartolomeo Ammanati designed the nymphaeum and other garden structures. Giorgio Vasari supervised the work, and the article says Michelangelo also worked there. It calls the villa one of the most delicate examples of Mannerist architecture.
After Julius died, Pope Paul IV confiscated his properties. Pope Clement XIV had the villa restored in 1769, and the Italian state confiscated it in 1870.
It is publicly owned and houses the Museo Nazionale Etrusco, which displays Etruscan art. A 1935 medal shows a pair of cupolas that were never built.
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