Casino Aurora in Rome

The garden of the Casino Aurora, to the southeast.
The Casino Aurora was built in 1570, on the site of a villa of Julius Caesar, that later passed to the historian Sallust and eventually to the Roman imperial family. Monuments in the garden include a “Pan” attributed to Michelangelo as well as several important Roman-era inscriptions.

The top floor of the Casino Aurora, which offers a full view of the city of Rome.
The “turret” of the Casino Aurora, with its two terraces, was through the nineteenth century the highest point in the historic center of Rome, and as such served as an astronomical observatory, first with Galileo in the 1620s.

The first floor of the Casino Aurora, with a unique ceiling painting by Caravaggio and a major fresco by Guercino (the “Fama”).



The “Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto” (1597) of Caravaggio is the only oil on plaster work by the artist; it was covered perhaps for centuries and rediscovered only in 1968. The “Fama” by Guercino (1622) celebrates the papacy of Gregory XV Ludovisi (1554-1621-1623).

Approach to the Casino Aurora from the main gate on Rome’s Via Lombardia

The area of the Casino Aurora saw a massive redevelopment after the dissolution of the Villa Ludovisi in 1885. It was turned into a walled enclave with an elegant driveway at a steep grade that provided a dramatic approach to the Casino.

The ground floor of the Casino Aurora with elaborate decorations (1622-1624) by Guercino, Tassi, Domenichino, and others.

Shortly after purchasing the Casino in 1621, Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi worked quickly to make the structure the focus of his new, eclectic art collection. His patronage of Guercino and Tassi for the decoration of the main Sala introduced Rome to the illusionistic painting associated with Bologna.