Ninfeo dell'Uccelliera

The Nymphaeum of the Uccelliera is an underground space built at the end of the 16th century, consisting of a staircase that rises, between marble mosaic-paved shelves, inside the retaining wall of the upper garden to a nymphaeum with a brightly decorated apse: The lower part of the nymphaeum has a 'tartar' facing, made of marble flakes, pumice cubes and limestone concretions arranged in a mosaic according to geometric patterns, while the upper part is decorated with coloured plaster, enriched with fragments of coloured marble, and groups of shells, chosen for their shape and pearly brilliance; the central sector has 'grotesque' figure motifs.

The room was later enriched with a fountain for which, in 1613, a certain 'Battista Scultore' executed a triton on a water horse; but this arrangement was cancelled in the 18th century, when the nymphaeum was transformed into a place to stop and rest, enjoying the coolness of the shade.