As Thomas Ashby first identified, this drawing represents a general view of Tivoli from the summit of Monte Catillo to the east.
1 The arch visible near the central foreground is the medieval gate of Porta Cornuta, now no longer extant. Beyond this the River Aniene winds through the town on its former course, before plunging as the ‘Grand Cascade’ at a point near the so-called Temple of Vesta on the right. After a devastating flood in 1826 the river was diverted in underground tunnels away from the residential district, altering the site of the waterfall. The key buildings silhouetted along the top of the town however, can all still be seen. These include, from left to right: the Rocca Pia, Tivoli’s fifteenth-century fortress; the campanile of Santa Maria Maggiore, the church adjacent to the Villa d’Este; the campanile of the Cathedral (Duomo) of San Lorenzo; and a medieval watch-tower which stands above the
cascatelli (or
cascatelle), the lesser cascades to the north. On the slopes of the opposite side of the valley is the long, low building of the Convent of San Antonio, also known as the Villa d’Orazio (Villa of Horace).
2 In the distance to the west, the river meanders through the flat plain of the Campagna, and just visible on the far horizon is the dome of St Peter’s in Rome. On the far right side are the three conical peaks known as the Montes Corniculani (Horned Mountains), crowned by the villages of Montecelio and Sant’Angelo Romano. Similar studies can be found in the
Tivoli and Rome sketchbook (Tate
D15080; Turner Bequest CLXXIX 80a) and in the
Tivoli sketchbook (Tate
D15554; Turner Bequest CLXXXIII 82).
