The numerous stories about Caprarola Julia shared
with me in the 1960s and '70s enthralled a young man
fascinated by the intersection of history, art, religion
and architecture. For me,
having acquired the patina
of the seasoned traveler
as a teenager, her words
resonated, portraying a
dimension rather than a
place, the Ellora and Ajanta
caves rather than the
House of Seven Gables,
the broad movement of
art history rather than a
Cole or a Cezanne on the
wall, a psychological place
rather than the drawing
room of the powers that
be. For decades, since her
reminiscences, Caprarola
lingered in my mind between
fact and fiction, becoming
a destination I aspired
to reach, often cautious
not to fulfill. Julia's stories
provided such expectation
that in not doing the actual
visit, they served to fill a
pleasurable anticipation.
The forces that brought
about the creation of this palace represent an extraordinary
fusion of human aspiration, endeavor and realization, the
likes of which this writer has never before so palpably
HYLAND
