Peschiera del giardino segreto

The Nymphaeum in the secret garden of the Villino Algardi is located on Viale Fontana di Venere, within the splendid Villa Doria Pamphili, in Rome's Quartiere XII (Gianicolense).

It is a ground-level basin with a rounded edge, predominantly rectangular in shape with curved corners. At the center is a lush, tall tree flanked by two marble lilies, the noble symbol of the Doria Pamphili family.

In the nymphaeum's pools are beautiful aquatic plants, which, along with other plant life, give it a multifaceted color. I enjoyed taking several photographs of this.

Along the edge are important, antique terracotta vases, adorned with floral and noble motifs, containing citrus trees.

On the surrounding wall in front of the nymphaeum there is a tripartite element with pilasters and capitals with three niches2 which house classical female statues.

It seems crazy, yet the view of this beautiful corner of the secret garden...isn't clearly visible from the secret garden. Yes, you'll be able to make it out more easily from the external staircase as you climb, or from the upper balustrade when you're standing directly above it, because it's indistinguishable from the Fountain of the Annunciation in the center, or even from climbing the stairs leading down to the square. It's one of two fishponds (though I understand there's only one now, so I'll have to check) that adorned the short sides of the Italian garden built for the villa (now closed to the public because it belongs to the government headquarters). The western fishpond, the one you can see, is home to a gigantic bald cypress tree that, with its red-orange hue, is a beautiful sight in the fall, but to most people it looks like just another tree. Since the ponds are so shallow, it's difficult to distinguish them even from close range while walking along the garden paths. However, from above, you can see two lily fountains that embellish the garden, and during certain periods, with the right weather, you can even see the water lilies blooming. I recommend everyone take a stroll to admire the garden and fishpond from the outside, but be careful not to lean out or climb, as it's strictly forbidden, not to mention dangerous, and the video surveillance could trigger police intervention. Need some help? Leave a like and check out the other reviews.