"today i went to see a magnificent house called the rotunda. it stands on a gentle elevation half an hour out of town. it is a square block, enclosing a round hall lit from above. on each of the four sides a broad flight of steps lead up to a portico of six corinthean columns. architecture has never, perhaps, achieved a greater degree of luxury."
"far more space has been lavished on the stairs and porticos than on the house itself, in order to give each side the impressive appearance of a temple. the house itself is a habitation rather than a home. the hall and the rooms are beautifully proportioned, but, as a summer residence, they would hardly satisfy the needs of a noble family."
"but from whatever direction one approaches it, the rotonda is a fine sight. if one walks round it, the variety of visual effect created by the square block and the projecting columns is quite extraordinary. the owners ambition, to leave his heirs an enormous fideicommissum and a tangible memorial to his wealth, is perfectly realized."
"the inscription on the four gables, which together form a whole sentence, deserve to be recorded. MARCUS CAPRA GABRIELIS FILIUS QUI AEDES HAS, ARCTISSIMO PRIMOGENITURAE GRADUI SUBJECIT UNA CUM OMNIBUS, CENSIBUS AGRIS VALLIBUS ET COLLIBUS CITRA VIAM MAGNUM, MEMORIAE PERPETUAE MANDANS HAEC DUM SUSTINET AC ABSTINET."
"the last line is very odd; a man who had so much wealth at his disposal and could do what he liked with it still feels that he ought to sustain and abstain. that lesson, surely, could of been learned at less expense."
johann wolfgang von goethe, italian journey. (made into english by w.h.auden and elizabeth mayer)
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