One spring day with the FAI touring Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of the UK ambassador in Rome.
Written by Francesca Polizzi for FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Photography by Francesca Basili, team member and partner of SprazzidiBellezza.com
There are certain places in Rome that seem to have been designed for contemplation.
The best way to experience them is in silence, listening and at a slow pace. Only in this way can one enjoy their true Beauty: the rustle of the maritime pines, the voice of the nearby fountains, the call of passing flocks, echoes of voices and sounds bouncing off the marbles; to this, in fine weather, one adds the scent of blossoming buds and freshly cut grass.
Villa Wolkonsky is one of the many secret oases dotting Rome; a precious, hidden, treasure chest, usually inaccessible and unknown, which I had the privilege of accessing thanks to the FAI (Italian Environment Fund) during the “FAI spring days”.
Villa Wolkonsky is not only a place of incredible historical and architectural value, whose park is a green lung just a stone's throw from the busy Basilica of San Giovanni! For somebody, it is home..
After going through many ownerships and extensions.. It has been the residence of the British ambassador to Italy and his family since 1947. The ambassador himself joined the groups of visitors on that beautiful early spring day. The lawn had just been cut, large camellia plants in bloom adorned the palace walls, while the ancient Neronian aqueduct was the undisputed star of the park and drew the amazed gazes of all of us, with our noses turned up.
In addition, among the lush rose gardens, palm trees, oaks, pines and a small pond full of water lilies..
the park is littered with archaeological finds from the imperial and republican age, from the numerous burial sites lying at the foot of the aqueduct, the most valuable of which are kept inside a late 19th-century Victorian glasshouse; finding them is a veritable treasure hunt, forcing the eye to investigate at 360 degrees! Even a small round temple, reminiscent of the Temple of Vesta, was built in the 20th century using ancient columns found on the site.
The paths weave into a series of pathways, resting places, wooden and stone benches, a well-kept vegetable garden, fruit trees and flowering sakura, even a swimming pool enclosed by walls, among the latest architectural additions.
The iconic portrait of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, painted by Pietro Annigoni in 1954, greets visitors at the entrance..
followed by reception halls decorated with precious Flemish tapestries, oil paintings, fine furniture, numerous works of art dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries and precious crystal chandeliers; I was struck by a pair of consoles with a mosaic-decorated surface, with a design reminiscent of Roman art motifs.
The main hall leads to the marble terrace, perhaps one of the most sublime areas of the residence. It is easy to imagine the ambassador's family spending quiet moments in this corner, enjoying the view of the nearby San Giovanni Basilica and the overall view of the park, accessed by two large marble staircases.
The camellias in bloom were actually the real attraction of the park on that beautiful March day..
..was impossible not to stop and admire their Beauty, approach them to smell their perfume and pick up the fallen ones from the ground, to take them with you for the rest of your visit, as if to fill the visit with an extra touch of pure Beauty.
I think it comes natural to imagine small scenes of the ambassador's daily life in such an idyllic place, on those spring days free from visitors.
One imagines what it might be like to have slow morning walks along the aqueduct in complete solitude, accompanied only by the sounds of the park and the voice of Rome, that lives quickly all around, yet without intruding. So much peace, so much Beauty.
It is a precious and rare opportunity to be able to visit this hidden gem and discover another piece of the complex mosaic that forms my and our cultural heritage.
A privilege that we owe to the FAI, which has always been committed to spreading awareness about the undeniable richness of our culture, which still play a fundamental role in our present.. Heartfelt thanks are also due to the British Embassy in Italy, based at Villa Wolkonsky, for their appreciated welcome.
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Written by Francesca Polizzi for FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano
Photography by Francesca Basili, team member and partner of SprazzidiBellezza.com
