Until the 4 November 2012, visitors to Villa d'Este at Tivoli can enjoy as extra treat. The exhibition: Magnificence at Table. The Art of the Renaissance Banquet, set out in the splendidly frescoed rooms of the palace leading down to the gardens and the fountains, gives a glimpse of high society living at the time of Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este, who built the villa.
The exhibition contains paintings, table ornaments, jewelled goblets, as well as information on banqueting entertainment and etiquette. The most splendid Renaissance banquets were those organized for the wedding of Eleanora d'Aragon, daughter of the king of Naples, with Ercole I d'Este in 1473. The celebrations lasted three months during the bridal party progress from Naples to Ferrara. The royal couple were accompanied by a retinue of 500, including courtiers, musicians, cup bearers, cooks, doctors and outriders, all of whom contributed to creating the series of magnificent banquets along the route.
Of particular importance were the figures of the trinciante who cut up the meat, vegetables and fruit with sleight of hand, never allowing the blade to touch the serving dish and the sugar sculptures. A triumph of sugar with a series of sculpted animals, triumphal arches and a cupid, has been created for the exhibition by two experts in this rare art - the Spanish Joan Sallas and the Swedish Rolf Stalberg.
During the summer, Villa d'Este is open to visitors Fridays and Saturdays until midnight. On Friday nights, there is a guided tour of the exhibition and the floodlit fountains, with the addition of a Renaissance Nocturnal, featuring cinquecento and seicento music and actors in period costume.
