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Villa d'Este Review

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Villa d'Este

Fodor's Review:

Built over the course of roughly 45 years for fisherman-turned-cardinal Tolomeo Gallio, the Villa d'Este has had a colorful and somewhat checkered history since its completion in 1615, swinging wildly between extremes of grandeur and dereliction. Its tenants have included the Jesuits, two generals, a ballerina, Caroline of Brunswick—the disgraced and estranged wife of the future king of England, George IV—a family of ordinary Italian nobles, and, finally, a czarina of Russia. Its life as a private summer residence ended in 1873, when it was turned into the fashionable hotel it has remained ever since.

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