The Streets of Rome Walking Through the Streets of the Capital
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Comune di Roma Tourism The streets of Rome Walking through the streets of the capital via dei coronari via giulia via condotti via sistina via del babuino via del portico d’ottavia via dei giubbonari via di campo marzio via dei cestari via dei falegnami/via dei delfini via di monserrato via del governo vecchio via margutta VIA DEI CORONARI as the first thoroughfare to be opened The road, whose fifteenth century charac- W in the medieval city by Pope Sixtus IV teristics have more or less been preserved, as part of preparations for the Great Jubi- passed through two areas adjoining the neigh- lee of 1475, built in order to ensure there bourhood: the “Scortecchiara”, where the was a direct link between the “Ponte” dis- tanners’ premises were to be found, and the trict and the Vatican. The building of the Imago pontis, so called as it included a well- road fell in with Sixtus’ broader plans to known sacred building. The area’s layout, transform the city so as to improve the completed between the fifteenth and six- streets linking the centre concentrated on teenth centuries, and its by now well-es- the Tiber’s left bank, meaning the old Camp tablished link to the city centre as home for Marzio (Campus Martius), with the northern some of its more prominent residents, many regions which had risen up on the other bank, of whose buildings with their painted and es- starting with St. Peter’s Basilica, the idea pecially designed facades look onto the road. being to channel the massive flow of pilgrims The path snaking between the charming and towards Ponte Sant’Angelo, the only ap- shady buildings of via dei Coronari, where proach to the Vatican at that time. even the less significant buildings and tiny Via dei Cornari, which follows the final details of city fittings are an important lega- stretch of the old via Recta, was one of the cy of the road’s social and architectural his- three roads branching from the old Piazza di tory, takes us through a true open-air muse- Ponte, or Trivium Mensarioru, market place um, decorated with renowned religious shops and site for public executions, and reached and a high concentration of typical holy Ro- as far as the very central Piazza Colonna, man alcoves. The latter are a further colour- passing right through the whole of the so- ful reminder of the never-ending flux of pil- called Renaissance district: the area urban- grims who would stop to say a quick prayer istically and architecturally reshaped at the in front of these famous “Madonnelle” (stat- end of the fifteenth century, whose medieval uettes of the Madonna). look was supplanted by splendid Renaissance features. Via dei Coronari soon took on the Palazzo Grossi-Gondi, located at the be- role of the nerve centre inside the revamped ginning of via dei Coronari at the piazza Tor fabric of the district’s roads, a main road in- Sanguigna end. Built in the eighteenth cen- VIA DEI CORONARI side the very heart of the city, symbolically tury on the orders of the Fiorentine Family located halfway between the “holy city” and Gondi, who are still its owners today, it dis- 2 the “historical centre”. The road was close- plays windows on its façades with decora- ly connected to the brand new Bank district, tions inspired by the family stem. Casa Luc- where the best-respected foreign banks were ci-Mancini, built in the sixteenth century by to be found, so that as well as working as a the noble Roman family of the same name, pure thoroughfare it was also a genuinely was afterwards passed onto the Archconfra- craft and commercial area, a purpose it still ternity of Santa Maria in Portico which had The streets of Rome serves today thanks to the numerous antique refined stucco work added to the inner court- shops dotted along the road. Via dei Coro- yard. Casa della Confraternita di Santa Maria nari, nestling in the attractive area en- dell’Orto, built in the seventeenth century veloping the equally famous Piazza Navona, on the orders of the rich Trastevere society owes its own name to the continual flow of which owned a great deal of property in the pilgrims passing through it, particularly heavy city. Casa del Salvatore, is easily spotted in the Holy Years, during which many ven- thanks to a bust of “The Saviour” embedded dors of crowns and other religious items, al- in its façade which was donated at the end so known as “paternostrari”, set up shop. of the fifteenth century to the “Compagnia dei Raccomandati del Signore”. Palazzetto isting building, stands out as one of the more Bonaventura, built at the end of the fif- important in via dei Coronari. It was put up teenth century for the powerful family of at the end of the sixteenth century by the same name whose members included car- Francesco da Volterra for Cardinal Scipione dinals and senators, is distinguished by a har- Lancellotti, keeping faith to a grand project monious façade in fire-brick, inter-dispersed later completed by Carlo Maderno. The aus- with Corinthian capital pilasters, and fea- tere and fine structure opens out, through tures a refined inner courtyard that was re- its central sumptuous archway designed by furbished in the seventeenth century. It was Domenichino, onto the splendid inner court- taken over in the eighteenth century first by yard, the Palazzo’s true strong point: em- the Latini and then by the Diamanti-Valen- broidered on one side by a two-rowed colon- tini family. Casa dipinta, postioned on the nade, its walls are embellished by a series corner with via della Maschera d’Oro. It is a of antique stucco-framed reliefs. The same fine example of that technique that gained magnificence and refinement decorate the popularity at the end of the fifteenth cen- rooms inside, whose vaults were frescoed by tury of decorating house and palazzo facades artists such as Guercino and Agostino Tassi. with chiaroscuro effects, adding to the city’s Palazzetto dell’ex Monte di Pietà (of the grandeur. The decoration (today rather fad- Former Pawnshop) used for this very purpose ed), attribute to artists of the like of Ma- by Pope Sixtus V at the end of the sixteenth turino da Firenze and Polidoro da Caravag- century, was totally restored to its former gio, whose special skills were very much in glory from scratch in 1572, as is recorded by demand in Rome, is made up of a carefully the plaque on the front wall. Palazzo del composed series of paintings inter-dispersed Drago, was commissioned to be built in 1557 by a number of trophies and mythological by the Drago brothers, Paolo, Giorgio and Gi- figures. Palazzo Lancellotti is located on the ampietro on an already-existing group of block between Piazza di San Simeone and Pi- houses, so as to incorporate the medieval azza di San Salvatore in Lauro. The huge con- Church of San Salvatore de Inversis. It stands struction, incorporating part of the pre-ex- out for its beautiful facade punctuated along the second row by arched windows and crowned by an artistic cornice. Palazzo Fio- ravanti, built in the sixteenth century, first belonged to the Sala Family and then to the aristocratic Fioravanti Family from Pistoia. VIA DEI CORONARI Casa dell’Arciconfraternita del Gonfalone, better known as Fiammetta’s house, is one 3 of the rare examples of an early fifteenth century home still bearing today a number of medieval architectural features. Its fame derives from the name of Cesare Borgia’s well-known mistress. Casa di Prospero Mochi, put up in 1516 by Pietro Rosselli for The streets of Rome the General Commissioner for Rome’s Forti- fications, is one of the road’s most charm- ing buildings. Casa Lezzani, or Raphael’s House, is a sober Renaissance building, where tradition has it that the famous artist once lived. Palazzo Vecchiarelli, built in the sec- ond half of the sixteenth century, is sur- mounted by a covered roof-terrace attrib- uted to Bartolomeo Ammannati. in the form of a temple. L’Immacolata Con- A beautiful view of Santa Maria della Pace’s cezione (The Immaculate Conception), looks dome may be enjoyed from behind the build- out from the side of Palazzo Lancellotti on- ings in vicolo della Volpe. Attaching the to via degli Amatriciani. The seventeenth church, work on which stretched from end century fresco is set in a sober frame com- of the twelfth to the end of the seventeenth posed of both stucco and travertine stone. centuries, is the famous cloister which was La Madonna Addolorata (Our Lady of Sor- built by Bramante between 1500 and 1504 rows), positioned on the ashlar-worked cor- and is part of the convent of the Lateran ner of Palazzo Lancellotti, overlooks the pi- Canon Regulars. This in turn was itself in- azza in front of the building, surrounded by corporated in a construction running along a stucco frame of rays. The original eigh- via dei Coronari. San Salvatore in Lauro, teenth century canvas us today kept inside looking onto the piazza of the same name, the building. Il Redentore (The Redeemer), adjoins Palazzo Lancelotti. The first record is to be found on the corner of Palazzo Lan- of the church dates back to 1177, work on cellotti, looking towards via dei Coronari. it continuing in various stages right through Its eighteenth century frame is similar to to the late sixteenth century. It was de- the previously-mentioned aedicule, that is stroyed by a fire in 1591, to be rebuilt a number of rays mingled with angel heads straight afterwards on Ottavio Mascherino’s surmounted by an angel in flight, positioned design.