The Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi, Via Lombardia 46, Porta Pinciana, Rome, is a small villa in the grounds of what was, in the 16th century, a country retreat belonging to Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, diplomat, intellectual, art connoisseur, collector, and protector and patron of such very different figures as Galileo and Caravaggio. The ceiling of the casino holds the only mural ever done by Caravaggio - his Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto, reflecting, in symbolic imagery derived from Classical mythology, another of the cardinal's interests, alchemy. The casino is also known as the Casino dell'Aurora del Guercino, after a fresco by Guercino. It is not normally open to the public, but tours are sometimes arranged. Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban... Francesco Maria Del Monte (5 July 1549 - 27 August 1627, full name Francesco Maria Bourbon Del Monte) was a leading prelate of the Catholic Church, diplomat and connoisseur of the arts. ... Galileo can refer to: Galileo Galilei, astronomer, philosopher, and physicist (1564 - 1642) the Galileo spacecraft, a NASA space probe that visited Jupiter and its moons the Galileo positioning system Life of Galileo, a play by Bertolt Brecht Galileo (1975) - screen adaptation of the play Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht... Chalk portrait of Caravaggio by Ottavio Leoni, c. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... Aurora, by Guercino, 1621-23 (ceiling fresco in the Casino Ludovisi, Rome), a classic example of Baroque illusionistic painting Aurora was the ancient Roman equivalent of Eos, the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn. ... The Italian painter Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591—1666) known as Guercino, was born at Cento, a village not far from Bologna. ...

Del Monte sold the casino and its extensive grounds to the Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi in 1621, and the casino remains in their possession, encircled by high walls and invisible to the public. The park was sold off in the 1880s and built up with hotels and expensive houses, including palazzi for members of the family. The facade of the main casino (a separate building) is now hidden behind the Palazzo Margherita. This palazzo was acquired by the Italian State and became the residence of Queen Mother Margherita, a popular figure after whom the well-known pizza is named. It now houses the U.S. embassy. Ludovico Cardinal Ludovisi (October 22 or 27, 1595–Bologna, November 18, 1632), a cardinal and statesman of the Roman Catholic Church was a connoisseur who formed a famous collection of antiquities, housed at the Villa Ludovisi, Rome. ... Margherita of Savoy Margherita or Margaret of Savoy (born November 20, 1851 in Turin, died January 4, 1926 in Bordighera), was the Queen consort of Italy during the reign (1878-1900) of her husband, Humbert I. She was the daughter of Ferdinand, Duke of Genoa and granddaughter of Carlo Alberto... A pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, tomatoes, field mushrooms, onion A pepperoni pizza Pizza (IPA pronunciation:  ) is the name of an oven-baked, flat, usually round bread covered with tomato sauce with optional toppings. ... Benjamin Franklin established Americas first mission overseas in Paris in 1779. ...

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• Casino di Villa Lodovisi presso Porta Pinciana