I progetti di Giovan Battista Giovenale e di Angiolo Pucci per villa "La Pariola" a Roma

In 1903, the Seminary resolved to sell the villa in Parioli, colloquially known as ‘la Pariola’, which had served as the venue for the pupils’ and clerics’ weekly excursions and summer holidays until 1886. On 5th March 1914, Mrs Martine de Béhague, Countess de Béarn, signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase. This transfer of ownership is further evidenced by a note affixed to certain photographs from the archives of the Ministry of Education, which reads, ‘Rome - Villa, formerly of the Roman Seminary, at Parioli, now belonging to the Countess Béarn’. However, the sale ultimately fell through as the purchaser had not been informed of the existing encumbrance under Law 364 of 1909 (“Concerning Objects of Artistic and Historical Interest”). In 1918, Prince Andrea Boncompagni expressed his interest in acquiring the villa, commissioning a ‘graphic scheme of adaptation’, which may correspond to the (undated) plan compiled by architect Giovan Battista Giovenale, preserved at Centro di Studi per la Storia dell’Architettura. Two years later, the property was acquired by Count Lodovico Taverna, who entrusted the restoration to Carlo Busiri Vici and Angiolo Pucci. The examination of largely unpublished graphic, photographic, and textual documentation enables us to formulate insights regarding the restoration of the ‘Pariola’ garden and, more broadly, the conservation of historic green spaces.