Blisses bought two prize pieces. They were placed in
Dumbarton Oaks, their Washington home, which is now
a museum. I occasionally go to look at them to remind
myself of the pleasant days we spent at Caprarola."
Julia and Guiseppe's furnishings, memorialized in
photography of the era, are in perfect harmony with the
splendid art sheathing every interior elevation.
The private Winter and
Summer
apartments
of Caprarola are noted
for
their
Mannerist
frescoes, which follow
an iconographic scheme
depicting the glory of
the Farnese. There was
an erudite mastermind
behind the magnificent and
meaningful iconography of
the Farnese frescoes, Cardinal
Farnese's confidential secretary,
the writer and poet Fra' Annibale
Caro, KM (1507-1566), most
famous for his translation of the
Aeneid, still read with pleasure by
Italians today. In 1555 Caro was
installed as a "knight of grace" (a
member not taking religious vows) of
the Order
of Malta by Cardinal Alessandro
Farnese. (The latter's connection with the Knights
of Malta remains a fascinating subject for scholarly
research; we know that Alessandro's brother, Cardinal
Ranuccio Farnese, was made Prior of the Knights of
HYLAND
