It would be nice to lean on a balustrade admiring the city of Rome, right? It is a pity that is "only" an illusion! We are in the Hall of Perspectives, in the beautiful Farnesina Villa, a building used as a private summer residence by Agostino Chigi, a powerful banker of that time. Come with me in this painted dream.

Agostino, who was probably one of the richest men in Europe (as you can read here) wanted a sort of cottage, following the summer luxurious homes of the ancient roman nobles, where he could enjoy a little comfort that his economic condition allowed. The villa was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi at the beginning of XVI century, a name that comes back in this magical salon. Apart from the band that runs along the walls, where we can see all the most important Gods from the Greek and Roman mythology, what really impresses and captures our look are the architectural elements that are all around us: from the red marble columns from the gilded capitals, the green marble walls on which there are niches with statues inside, and a beautiful view through a balustrade, marble made again, that is spread throughout Rome.

What is strange is precisely this: the view is illusory and false, because everything you see is painted on the wall! From the columns with gilded capitals to the niche with the statue, it is all a big fresco that reflects reality! A perspective that is really daring, but, at the same time, curated to the very last detail. A colorful dream, a polychrome perspective and sense of depth. Put yourself, for example, at the center of the living room and look down: the floor is marked by alternating red and green boxes. Try to follow them, arriving at one of the walls. You will notice how the same alternation is found on the floor with frescos, painted on the wall!

Enter in here, at least for me personally, it really means to be rocked to sleep by those perspectives deceitful, typical of the Renaissance. The pagan gods are always present, and prospects, so daring were the daily bread for those highly placed personalities who wanted to surprise their guests, through a style that is difficult to perform, and sublime in its effects. Try to think about the magnificent painted lodge of the Farnesina Villa, as you can read here. Moreover, anything that affects any further is like you can try, in one way or another, to represent, on the walls of the districts and the areas of Rome that you could see from a certain point of view. You note the Colosseum, a roman aqueduct, buildings that today are still standing after five hundred years. A sort of historical photography having also a small curiosity: on the back wall from the entrance to the Hall of Perspectives, the buildings of Rome represented as in part submerged by water. What is it? A painted re-creation of one of the numerous floods which struck the Eternal City in the past! And here, in particular, to the Farnesina Villa, the hosts knew how much a flood could be dangerous, since the villa was built close to the shore of the river. Spectacular, right?