estate in Tivoli, near Rome, with buildings, fountains, and terraced gardens designed (1550) by the Mannerist (Mannerism) architect Pirro Ligorio (Ligorio, Pirro) for the governor Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este. Before being confiscated as his residence, the property had been a Benedictine convent. Ligorio, who was also an archaeologist, conducted a close examination of the terraced site at the temple complex of Praeneste (now Palestrina) as well as excavations at Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli. His discoveries at these nearby sites influenced his design of (and, in the case of Hadrian's Villa, supplied the statuary for) the cardinal's garden.