- The story of The Villa Wolkonsky told by one of its recent
prestigious residents- Reveals a little-known treasure of The Eternal
City- First ever full treatment of the subject, correcting many previous
untruths- Full of fascinating and exciting historical detail, with many
familiar names and events- Extensively illustrated with photographs and
mapsThe Villa Wolkonsky, Rome, is the incongruously named official
residence of the British ambassador to Italy. Nestled within the city's
Aurelian Wall, the site's history dates back to antiquity, its gardens
dominated by the remains of a first-century imperial Roman aqueduct. In
the 19th century a remarkable Russian princess, Zenaïde Wolkonsky,
turned it into a country home and salon d'art with such illustrious
visitors as Gogol, Turgenev and Fanny Mendelssohn. Following generations
excavated Roman tombs, collected antiquities and built a new grand
mansion, before selling the Villa to the German government in 1922. It
remained the German embassy, being much enlarged, until the Liberation
of Rome in 1944. After the war the UK bought it, first as embassy
offices and residence and, since 1971, as the residence for the
ambassador and other staff. In this handsomely illustrated volume, Sir
John Shepherd, former ambassador, has undertaken new research to debunk
long-held myths and present, for the first time, a comprehensive history
of this hidden Roman treasure.
