The Villa Farnesina was known as the Villa of Pleasure, and was frequently visited by Julius's successor, Leo X. Pope Leo was better at parties than he was at politics. "God has given us the papacy," he said, "so let us enjoy it!" And enjoy it he did. He was a member of the Medici banking family, but in one year, he squandered the entire savings of the papacy on pleasures, on art, and on gambling. His reign marks the delicious climax of the debauchery of the Renaissance papacy. The popes believed they were invincible. But they were wrong. Their decadent version of Christianity did not go unnoticed by Christians outside of Rome and the Renaissance was about to reach an explosive finale. One German monk visiting Rome was particularly outraged. His name was Martin Luther. Everything that the Renaissance popes valued and nurtured for Rome, Luther loathed. Sexual pleasure, the beauty of the human body, the admiration for pagan art. And most disturbing of all, the selling of the forgiveness of sins.


法内仙纳庄园，人称“玩乐庄园”，经常得到朱利叶斯的继任者、利奥十世的光顾。教皇利奥在派对狂欢上的“才能”比政治上的高明多了。他曾说：“既然上帝赋予了我们教皇的职权，那我们就尽情享受吧！”他也确实没少享受。他是梅迪奇银行家族的成员，然而他在一年时间里就把教皇储蓄金挥霍一空，将之用于享乐、艺术收藏以及赌博。他的统治标志着文艺复兴时期教皇们的腐败达到了顶点。这些教皇们认为他们的地位不可动摇。但他们错了。他们这种“堕落版”的基督教，罗马城以外的基督徒可都看在眼里；文艺复兴运动即将进入尾声，来个爆炸性的结局。 一位到访罗马的德国传道士尤为愤慨。他的名字是马丁·路德。路德憎恶文艺复兴时期教皇们所看重并和在罗马发展的一切：性爱之欢、人体之美、异教艺术之鉴等等。而最让人恼怒的做法就是——出售赎罪券。