FRASCATI, the ancient Tusculum, is a town of Italy, in the Campagna di Roma, situated on the side of a hill about twelve miles from Rome. The modern town is situated much lower down than the ancient city, but still in such au elevated and airy situation as to justify the origin of its name. There is nothing remarkable, according to Mr Eustace, in the interior of the town ; but it is encircled with villas of great beauty and magnificence. The town of Tusculum was destroyed in a civil contest by the Ro mans themselves about the year 1190, and its site was marked, when visited by Mr Eustace, by long lines of walls, and of shattered arches, intermingled with shrubs and bushes, even to the summit, and along the sides of the mountain. From this there is an extensive view in every direction. Towards the southeast is seen Mont° Catone and the Praha Porcia, once the property of Cato. At Grotto Fenata, about 1 mile distant, stood the favourite Tuscan villa of Cicero. It is now an abbey of Greek monks, and stands on one of the beautiful hills which form the Alban Mount. In opposition to the opinion of Dr Middleton and Mr Melmoth, Mr Eustace maintains, that not even a trace of the ruins of this villa is to be seen. The principal, per haps the whole of the building, says Mr Eustace, still stood at the end of the 18th century, when St Nilcn, a Greek monk from Calabria, fixed himself on the spot, and after having demolished what remained of the villa, erected on its site, and probably with its materials, his monastery, which in process of time became a rich abbey, and as it was first founded, so it is still inhabited by Greek monks of the order of St Basil. At each end of the portico, is
fixed in the wall a fragment of basso relievo ; one repre sents a philosopher sitting with a scroll in his hand in a thinking posture ; in the other are four figures supporting the feet of a fifth, of a colossal size, supposed to represent Ajax. These, with the beautiful pillars that support the church, are the only remnants of the decorations and fur niture of the ancient villa. The church contains little re markable, excepting the chapel of St Nilus, painted by Dominichino in a masterly style. The wall is separated into compartments, and in each compartment is represented one of the principal actions of the patron saint. The De moniac Boy, near the altar, and St Nilus praying near the end of the chapel, are supposed to be the two best." See Eustace's Travels. (7v)