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Villa Farnese

A pentagonal Renaissance-Mannerist villa by Vignola, with the spiral Scala Regia and Zuccari frescoes, owned by the state.

  • Caprarola
  • Villa
Plan your visit
Where
Caprarola
Best for
Vignola's pentagonal plan
Allow
1 hr 30 min
Tickets
From €10
Checked August 2026

Villa Farnese in Caprarola is a pentagonal palace that Cardinal Alessandro Farnese asked Vignola to build in 1556 on the foundations of an unfinished Sangallo fortress, so a Renaissance villa rises from a military plan.

Around a circular colonnaded courtyard, five floors of rooms are covered in Mannerist frescoes by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari, celebrating the Farnese family. The Scala Regia, a spiral staircase lined with paintings by Antonio Tempesta, sweeps visitors upward in one long turn; the Room of the World Map shows the known world as it was around 1574. Because the villa is owned by the Italian state and the little casino above it is the president's retreat, the crowds here are thin.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The Scala RegiaVignola, with frescoes by Antonio Tempesta

    A spiral staircase wound around thirty columns and frescoed by Antonio Tempesta, built so a cardinal could ride or climb the whole way up in one long turn.Ground floor to piano nobile

  2. The circular courtyardVignola

    Two tiers of superimposed porticoes turn the pentagonal block into a round, calm space, the trick that hides the fortress plan.Center of the palace

  3. The Room of the World MapGiovanni Antonio da Varese

    The known world as it was mapped in the 1570s, painted across the walls and vault of a cardinal’s study.Piano nobile

  4. The Hall of Farnese DeedsTaddeo and Federico Zuccari

    A Mannerist pageant that paints the Farnese family’s triumphs across the walls, the palace’s statement of dynastic power.Piano nobile

  5. The Farnese gardens and Palazzina del PiacereLate Renaissance

    Terraced gardens lead up to a small pleasure pavilion, the little retreat that later served as a presidential residence.Behind the palace

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
From €10
Booking
No booking needed
Time needed
1 hr 30 min
Best time
Weekday mornings, when the piano nobile rooms are quiet
Getting there
Caprarola is a small town in northern Lazio, and the villa stands at the top of the main street. There is no train: from Viterbo a direct Cotral bus goes to Caprarola, and drivers can park in the piazza below the villa.

EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2; under-18s free; free on the first Sunday of the month. The upper casino and its garden are the residence of the President of the Republic and are not part of the visit. Last updated August 2026. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Climb the Scala Regia slowly and look up: the spiral is built so that the vaults seem to turn with you, an effect most visitors rush straight past.

Official website
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Good to know

How long should you spend at Villa Farnese in Caprarola?

About 90 minutes: enough for the courtyard, the Scala Regia and the main frescoed rooms, plus a walk in the gardens if they are open on your visit.

Is Villa Farnese worth visiting?

Yes, and it is one of the great under-visited Renaissance palaces in Lazio. It is a pentagon with a round courtyard, and the frescoes are Mannerist showpieces by the Zuccari.

Can you combine Villa Farnese with other sights near Viterbo?

Yes, it pairs naturally with Viterbo’s medieval center, or with the Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo for a day of the Farnese and their circle.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

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