La cosiddetta Neviera di Villa Giulia. Un ninfeo rinascimentale a grotta ritrovato

At the Villa Giulia complex in Rome, there is an exquisite but almost unknown example of grotto nymphaeum. It still survives today, albeit obscured by the 20th century south wing of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco; despite being heavily altered over time, it is still legible in its original design and decoration. The aim of this paper is to propose a reconstruction of the original 16th century layout of the nymphaeum, mainly based on the analysis of the iconographic sources related to the grotto: a few drawings made during the 16th century and between the 18th and 19th century, in the context of the Grand Tour. Along with the examination of archival documentation, the reconstruction is made possible by data present on the drawings themselves, namely measurements. Thanks to these, a metrological analysis was carried out to digitally redraw and graphically restore the appearance of the grotto nymphaeum built by Pope Julius III at the height of the splendour and revival of nymphaeum and fountain architecture in the second half of the 16th century.