Villa Medici

Rom · Italia · Manor

A woman in a white peplos and heavy jewellery moves through the gardens on the Pincio — Messalina is still looking for a lover.

The villa's gardens lie on top of the Horti Luculliani, the pleasure park that Empress Valeria Messalina seized and where she was finally killed in AD 48 by a tribune sent by Claudius, after she had celebrated a public wedding with her lover Silius while the emperor was away. The legend has never let go of her: at night she is said to appear among the pines in a white peplos, heavy gold at her throat, seeking the lover she never got to keep. Guards and artists at the French Academy speak of footsteps on the gravel paths of the little grove, of a strong scent of perfume with no source, and of the garden birds falling silent suddenly, always in the same spot.

FAQ

Hvor ligger Villa Medici?

Villa Medici ligger i Rom, Italia.

Image: SonyGM / CC BY 4.0 — Wikimedia Commons