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The Bergantino Nymphaeum at Castel Gandolfo: The Imperial Grotto Where Domitian Staged the Odyssey
On the western shore of Lake Albano, at Castel Gandolfo, lies the Bergantino Nymphaeum, a natural cave transformed in the 1st century AD into an aquatic stage set for the Emperor Domitian. It formed part of his vast estate, the Albanum Domitiani, which covered 14 square kilometres around the volcanic crater. Today it is also known as the Baths of Diana. To visit it is to enter a damp, dripping space suspended in time.
From Volcanic Quarry to Mythological Theatre
The grotto's origins were rather prosaic: it was a quarry for volcanic stone. Domitian had it faced in opus mixtum, a combination of reticulate and brick work, and converted into a multi-chambered nymphaeum. At its centre, a circular pool 17 metres in diameter painted blue and edged with marine mosaics once displayed a colossal sculptural group: Ulysses and the blinding of Polyphemus. Around it stood figures of Scylla, Diana, and a Medusa. The walls were decorated with faux-rock surfaces encrusted with pumice. Water was fed through a hidden conduit at the back of the grotto.
The Pope's Brigantine
In the 17th century, Pope Alexander VII revived the nymphaeum as a boathouse for the small vessel, a brigantine (or brig), on which he sailed out onto the lake each summer. Hence the current name. The artefacts recovered in the 19th century, including the Polyphemus group, are today on display in the Antiquarium of Villa Barberini.
