He is perhaps best known for his despoliation of the then 1,400-year-old Hadrian's Villa, built by the Roman emperor Hadrian, removing marbles and statues from it to decorate his own villa, the Villa d'Este.
He is most famous for his act of desecration of the ancient Hadrian's Villa, a structure constructed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, where he plundered its marble and statues to furnish his own villa, the Villa d'Este.