The Renaissance complex of the Nymphaeum rises on the site of the “old garden” of Castello Colonna in Genazzano (RM). The monument dates in appearance to the 16th century, commissioned by Cardinal Pompeo Colonna from the famous architect and painter Donato Bramante.
The façade of the building, a casino or hunting lodge, has a loggia with three arches that open towards the valley and apses on the two shorter sides. There is a parallel room behind the portico, on a slightly higher level, with three rectangular spaces on a cross layout and walls studded with circular and rectangular niches. On the north-facing side of this space, an octagonal room has large, diagonally arranged niches with seating that offered a place to rest while enjoying the cool shade, protected from the fountain waters. The building is further decorated with Palladian or Venetian windows with concentric arches and five oculi, placed between the loggia and the inner room. The arch and oculus decoration is wholly within the Bramante canon.
As many of the dissonant architectural motifs attest, the building was probably built in different phases and combines classical Roman elements with a typically Renaissance style. Construction was perhaps never completed given the absence of soot in the chimney. Political events lead to the abandonment of the Nymphaeum which was later used for theatre and dance performances.
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