ABSTRACT
Renaissance popes praised the merits of the countryside; they traditionally
moved their residence during the hot summer months from the marshy and
malaria-prone area of the Vatican to the clean air and healthy living of the cam-
pagna romana. This custom of villeggiatura seasonally relocated the papacy to
the Alban and Sabine Hills outside Rome, although from the fifteenth century
the popes also chose episcopal palaces within the city as places of retreat.2
Rome presents us with an interesting situation where the benefits of rural life
are celebrated within city limits. Historically, Rome was a unique example
