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The villa’s gardens, although somewhat neglected, will probably give you the greatest pleasure. The many splashing fountains of gracefully carved stone, statuary, and cleverly laid-out formal plantings offer myriad harmonious and ever-changing vistas. The Secret Garden conceals the greatest artistry.

This portico frames magnificent views of the sea and of the quaint breakwater known as the Barge. Carved in the shape of a large ship, it provides a perfect foreground to Key Biscayne, lying off the coast.

The room includes a 2,000-year-old marble Roman tripod, a 15thcentury Hispano-Mooresque rug, a tapestry depicting the Labors of Hercules , and a Neapolitan altar screen.

All flowers and fluff, the room is graced with an exquisite Italian harpsichord from 1619, a dulcimer, and a harp.

Four massive ceramic Chinese Foo dogs guard the steps that ascend to what is probably the most bombastic room in the house.

Few bathrooms in the world are more ornate than this marble, silver, and gilded affair. The bathtub was designed to run either fresh-or salt-water from the Bay of Biscayne.

Another echo of the antique Italian taste, featuring a 2,000-year-old Roman table, a pair of 16thcentury tapestries, and a full set of 17th-century chairs.

The assemblage is a mix of styles, but the overall look is of a salon under the 18th-century French King Louis XV. The tinted plaster ceiling is from the Rossi Palace in Venice.

Though still 18th-century, the mood is considerably more sober in these rooms, which are in the English Neoclassical style, inspired by the work of Robert Adam.

In imitation of Italian Renaissance and Baroque architects, who were in turn imitating ancient Roman styles, this pool extends under the house and resemble a natural cave or sea grotto.