Often wealthy patricians in ancient Rome lived in homes surrounded by greenery called horti (gardens) to enjoy idleness. Some places, originated from the horti between 1500 and 1700, became the gardens where nobles of the Pope's court, important curia and wealthy bourgeois got splendid palaces built for them. When patronage and interest for Art became a fashion, the most famous architects were commissioned to build villas which had nothing to envy about compared to city houses. In the gardens, often embellished by sculptures, fountains, nymphaei, waterworks, were placed Art collections as a symbol of power and wealth.
There are many villas in Rome. The most important ones are mentioned and can be visited; they often host museums or cultural centres.
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