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This project examines new ideological constructs of “otium” (intellectual leisure) and the role of villas in late sixteenth-century Bologna. Focusing on the intellectual circle of the celebrated Cardinal Gabriele Paleotti, it analyses ways in which patrons built, decorated, frequented, and described their villas, aiming to understand the impact of religious reform on the intellectual culture of the late Renaissance. The study also expands the commonly-held perception of the immutability of leisure, indicating that late sixteenth-century “villeggiatura” (villa life) was a flexible construct that could be molded around the changing social and spiritual needs of villa patrons.