[MR] History Blog: Grotto di Diana Reopens After 50 Years

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Earlier this week the History Blog reported on the restoration and pending
reopening of the Grotto di Diana at the Villa d'Este near Rome.

The Grotto was begun around 1570 at the behest of Cardinal Ippolito II
'Este, son of Lucrezia Borgia, and five-times failed candidate for Pope.
The fabulously rich Cardinal was the owner of the Villa d'Este with its
famous garden and fountains. The cruciform grotto was adorned with
classical frescos showing scantily-clad ladies amid the Este heraldic
devices, with an internal fountain, and was an explosion of artistic excess.
 The Cardinal died in 1572 before much of the project was finished.

The grotto fell into ruin, and closed some 50 years ago. In 2023 a major
restoration began on the crumbling frescos and terra cotta floors. The
grotto will reopen to the public on 6 May.

The story is found at https://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/72975 .

More on the Villa d'Este is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_d%27Este
.

A short bio of the Cardinal himself is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ippolito_II_d%27Este .

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  (A much humbler estate!)  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep the original Merry Rose relevant and in
business.