This impressive watercolour depicts Lake Albano, which lies in the volcanic Alban hills to the south of Rome. The summer residence of the Pope, Castel Gandolfo, can be seen on the horizon beyond the lake. Turner did not visit Italy until 1802 and his first experience of the famous landscape came through the eyes of other artists. This work is a copy, in reverse, of a watercolour attributed to John Robert Cozens (1752–1797), now in Leeds Art Gallery. Cozens was celebrated for the poetic mood and elegance of his Italian landscapes.