Casa del Sole

Perched on top of the Janiculum Hill on a road laid out by Aurelias in the 2nd Century, it enjoyed an uninterrupted view over St. Peter's. In the 1920s it was reckoned to be "one of the loveliest villas" in Rome as the winter residence of the American Papal Duke and Duchess Nicholas and Genevieve Brady, who also lived at Inisfada on New York's Long Island. Inside their 20-room winter villa, servants wore slippers so as not to ruin the peace and tranquility of its marble halls. It was surrounded by terraced gardens with lemon trees and tall cedars interspersed with walkways and ancient statues. There was a tennis court and one small garden designed specifically in which to take tea. In 1933, Mrs Rose Kennedy was a visitor here. The Bradys were compared to Gerald Clery Murphy (1888-1964) and Sara Sherman Wiborg (1883-1975), another American couple who entertained in similar style on the French Riviera.