A Jacobite Gazetteer - Rome

Villa del Duca di York

This three-storeyed villa belonged to King Henry IX and I from 1804 to 1807.

The villa is located to the west of Rome in what is now a protected area, the Riserva Naturale della Valle dei Casali. It stands on the top of a hill about half way betwen Via Aurelia Antica and Via Portuense. The streets around the villa are closed to cars. It can be approached from the west by taking Via di Bravetta and then turning east on Via del Forte Bravetta. Alternatively it can be approached from the east by taking Via del Forte Bravetta; cars are not permitted past the intersection with Via dei Troiani.

A long straight avenue leads from Via del Forte Bravetta to a circular clearing enclosed by a wall; from here, by means of two curved flights of steps followed by a long single flight, one ascends to the terrace on which the "palazzina" stands. To the west an avenue crosses the fields, leading to a chapel dedicated to Saint Agatha (Santa Agata). ¹ For many years the villa was abandoned; restoration began in the 1990's and continues (2001).

If one travels on Via di Bravetta several hundred yards south of Via del Forte Bravetta, one finds a small street with the name "Via Cardinal Duca di York". The street extends less than a hundred yards; formerly it must have continued further.