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The Villa of Livia (Latin: Ad Gallinas Albas) is an ancient Roman villa at Prima Porta, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Rome along the Via Flaminia. It was probably part of Livia Drusilla's dowry she brought when she married the emperor Augustus, her second husband, in 39 BC. It was her sumptuous country residence complementing her house on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Its Latin name, Villa Ad Gallinas Albas, referred to its breed of white chickens, which was said by Suetonius to have auspiciously omened origins. The villa occupied the height dominating the view down the Tiber Valley to Rome. Some of the walling that retained the villa's terraces can still be seen. The site was rediscovered and explored as early as 1596, but it was not recognized as the Villa of Livia until the 19th century. In 1863–1864, a marble krater carved in refined low relief was discovered at the site. On April 20 1863, the famous heroic marble statue of Augustus, the Augustus of Prima Porta, was found at the villa; it is now in the Vatican Museums (Braccio Nuovo). Oak tree with birds, wall painting in the underground garden In the 19th century, the villa belonged to the Convent of Santa Maria in Via Lata. The villa and gardens have been excavated and can be visited. There are three vaulted subterranean rooms, the largest of which contained superb illusionistic frescoes of garden views in which all the plants and trees flower and fruit at once. These have since been removed to Rome, where, following cleaning and restoration, they have been reinstalled in the Palazzo Massimo. The vault above the fresco was covered with stucco reliefs, some of which survive. The purpose and layout of the Villa Livia are important to the understanding of both the purpose and layout of the space. The Roman activity of “[d]ining was much more than the satisfaction of human need — it was a ritual of great social and political significance.“ In terms of layout, the room is underground and dimensionally 40 feet long by 20 feet wide. There are no separating moldings, no painted architecture, and no visible structural elements — the room unexpectedly transports the viewer “outside“ in a completely enclosed underground space with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The enclosure is striking because of the spatial play of the room itself with its illusionistic quality, there is incredible accuracy of plant species, and the variety provides a landscape that in reality cannot exist as one garden. A low stone wall contains the thickest and largest plantings, and in between the viewer and the space rests another fence with a narrow grass walkway. The garden layout encompasses a “perfect combination of variety and abundance with stylization and order“ as nature grows freely while simultaneous evidence of human activity is present, specifically as some birds exist in cages and a neatly manicured lawn is visible closest to the dining room space. Вилла Ливии — древнеримская вилла в одном из районов Рима, Прима-Порта. Во времена римской империи вилла, построенная в I веке до н. э., называлась «У белых кур» — Ad Gallinas Albas и, возможно, принадлежала жене императора Августа Ливии. Вилла до сих пор полностью не раскопана, так как участок земли над виллой используется под сельскохозяйственные работы. На территории виллы была найдена мраморная статуя императора Августа, известная сейчас под названием «Август из Прима Порта», а подобный тип императорских изображений типом Прима-Порта. По легенде, жене императора на колени упала белая курица, которую выпустил орёл. У курицы в клюве была веточка лавра, которую затем посадили в саду. Из лавровой веточки выросла лавровая роща, из веток этих деревьев стали изготовлять лавровые венки для императоров. Потомство белой курицы выращивалось на вилле, отсюда и её название. Вилла известна своими великолепными фресками (высотой 2,72 м, длиной 11,70 м) в зале — триклинии, который полностью украшен фресками с изображением растений: цветов — розы и хризантемы; деревьев — гранат, айва, лавр, кедр, кипарис, олеандр и другие; а также около 30 видов птиц. В настоящее время фрески выставлены в отдельном помещении второго этажа Палаццо Массимо Национального музея Рима. Music: Bach - Adagio from Easter Oratorio BWV 246 Video author - Marina Zoege von Manteuffel Webseite Marina Zoege von Manteuffel Facebook
