I sought to behold reminders of the halcyon hours,
days and years Julia spent at Caprarola, as the wife
of Guiseppe Brambilla, the Italian diplomat. I was not
disappointed: Villa Farnese captivated me much as
it captured the Brambillas, a house they inhabited in
imagination and desire for many years before their actual
residence began. "It was difficult for me to understand,"
writes Julia, "[Guiseppe's] overpowering desire to live at
Caprarola, but when I set eyes on it again, in 1918, the
dream began to take hold of me too."
I did not dine, as Julia often had, in the frescoed Sala del
Mappamondo, "Room of the World Map," or in the Rain
Grotto. But assisted by guide Sabina and my friends,
Mariagrazia and John, I saw sequestered spaces not
open to the public that Julia had spoken of, such as the
HYLAND
