Villa d’Este
The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains.
Villa Gamberaia
Villa Gamberaia is a seventeenth-century villa outside Florence. Edith Wharton attributed the preservation of the garden at the Villa Gamberaia to its "obscure fate" during the nineteenth century, when more prominent gardens with richer owners, in more continuous attendance, had their historic features improved clean away. During World War II, the villa was almost completely destroyed. It was restored it after the war, using old prints, maps and photographs for guidance.
Valerija Kelava
Valerija Kelava is a Slovenian model.
Villa Garzoni
Villa Garzoni is a villa in Tuscany. The water garden is constructed at the foot of a series of balustraded terraces and a suite of grand symmetrical staircases connecting the lower water gardens at the base of the hill, with the house, the cascade, the teatro di verdura and other garden features above.
Villa Oliva
The building was commissioned by the Buonvisi family at the end of the 15th century and built by Matteo Civitali (1436-1501). A legend reports of a bet between a Buonvisi and the King of France Louis XIV. The Buonvisi claimed that his stable was more beautiful than any of the rooms of Versailles. The French Ambassador to the Republic of Lucca was sent by the king to visit the Buonvisi stable and verify that claim. Before the visit Buonvisi had ordered the entire stable to be covered with French gold coins showing the effigy of Louis XIV. The ambassador had to confirm the claim back to Paris and Buonvisi won his bet.
Vela
Vela was the name of a group of satellites developed by the United States to detect nuclear detonations to monitor compliance with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty by the Soviet Union.
Vicky de Lambray
Vicky de Lambray was a transvestite male prostitute, conman and thief who became a favourite of Fleet Street gossip columnists. In an essay called "London Grandeur" Phaedra Kelly says "Vikki's claim was that she would be the most famous transgenderist ever and die dramatically at the age of 30." De Lambray once changed his name by deed poll to Louis de Rothschild — hoping he would be confused as a Rothschild family member. The Rothschild family paid him ten thousand pounds to change it back again, which he did. Vicky de Lambray claimed he was addicted to the idea of becoming famous. He would regularly hire a Rolls Royce with the funds received prostituting himself in Shepherd Market in London's West End. He would place a large sign in the back of the Rolls, saying VICKY de LAMBRAY—ENTERTAINER, and drive for hours around central London or park outside Harrods. It was while working at Shepherd Market that de Lambray met the former head of MI6 Sir James Dunnet. During the assignation, de Lambray stole Dunnet's wallet and credit cards and was arrested after a few days while attempting to use Dunnet's credit card.
Serge Voronoff
Serge Voronoff was a French surgeon of Russian extraction who gained fame for his technique of grafting monkey testicle tissue on to the testicles of men for purportedly therapeutic purposes while working in France in the 1920s and 1930s. The technique brought him a great deal of money, although he was already independently wealthy. As his work fell out of favour, he went from being highly respected to a subject of ridicule. In 1999, some speculated that the AIDS virus discovered in the 1980s entered the human population through Voronoff's transfer of monkey parts into humans in the 1920s.
Vegreville egg
Vegreville egg is a giant sculpture of a pysanka, a Ukrainian style Easter egg. It is the largest pysanka in the world.
Villa La Gaeta
Situated on the prominent Gaeta peninsula, on the shore of Lake Como, the famous Liberty style villa was used in the film Casino Royale as the residence of Mr White.