The pentagonal Villa Farnese PXL_20221009_124608128.MP

The Villa Farnese, also known as Villa Caprarola, was designed by Pope Paul III to be a pentagonal fortress. His grandson Cardinal Alessandro Farnese erected the mansion atop the foundation. Villa Farnese is situated directly above the town of Caprarola and dominates its surroundings. It is a massive Renaissance and Mannerist construction, opening to the Monte Cimini, a range of densely wooded volcanic hills. As a centerpiece of the vast Farnese holdings, Caprarola was always an expression of Farnese power, rather than a villa in the more usual agricultural or pleasure senses.