Le Salone de la Villa d'Este à Tivoli : un théâtre des jardins et du territoire

The Salone of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli : a Stage of Gardens and of the Land. This essay examines the frescoed landscapes that adorn the walls of the Salone, the main room of the Villa d'Este in Tivoli. Conceived in direct relation with the villa's famed gardens, the room purposely reuses the decorative and structural vocabulary of antique dining rooms. The interdependent relationship between the interior and exterior is further underlined by the topographical nature of the painted landscapes, which depict, following a geographically-accurate layout, not only the fountains in the garden but also the bridges over the Aniene river and the villas of antique Tibur that once surrounded the city, according to Pirro Ligorio's interpretation in his treatise on the antique villas of Tivoli. The thus revealed iconographic programme posits a new interpretation of the meaning and choice of the site for the Villa d'Este, conceived by Pirro Ligorio in close connection with the geographical location and typology of antique villas. The Salone thus resembles a "stage of gardens and of the land", a term whose implications are all at once formal, didactic and mnemonic.