Seventeenth-century printmakers responded to the interest in ancient art and architecture, as well as contemporary topography, by creating elaborate series on all the splendors of Rome. In the latter part of the century, their publications included etchings such as this one by Giovanni Battista Falda, detailing the grand villas and gardens of Rome. Such works, eagerly collected by gentlemen-virtuosi throughout Europe, stimulated the Grand Tour, the legendary trek to Italy to study Roman art and architecture. The garden surrounding the Villa Medici on the Pincian Hill, a glimpse of which is seen here, was much regarded for its grand central fountain and phenomenal collection of statues from classical antiquity. The window openings cut into the hedges, visible on the lower right of the etching, offered a magnificent view of the rooftops of Rome, with the dome of Saint Peter's visible at mid-distance.

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