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A Walk to Malborghetto
a Roman relief found in Villa di Livia
This walk starts from Ponte Milvio and it follows Via Flaminia,
the ancient Roman road
leading to Rimini, a town on the Adriatic Sea. The large expansion of Rome
after World War II has impacted on the landscape of the initial 10 miles of Via Flaminia.
Villa Brasini
Details of Villa Brasini
Armando Brasini (1879-1965) was an architect who was very highly regarded by the Fascist government (1922-43) for his
monumental buildings where he mixed various styles with results which today are considered very poor. He built
a large villa for himself on a hill next to Ponte Milvio and to a monumental bridge he had designed. The villa is made of
several buildings giving to the complex the overall shape of a castle, to the point that the locals call it il Castellaccio (the ugly castle).
One of the entrances is clearly copying Baroque patterns, while the main tower shows the monumental style developed
by Brasini.
Villa Brasini: a Roman relief, a sort of monument made of different medieval and Roman elements, a coat of arms of Pope Alexander VI
Brasini supervised the destruction of old buildings which were promoted by the Fascist government
to enhance spectacular views of the Colosseo, Mausoleo di Augusto, Teatro di Marcello, etc. He was allowed to collect
many reliefs and fragments of statues, columns, etc. found during these clearances. With them he decorated his villa, sometimes
combining them in a rather bizarre way.
Via Flaminia
Views from Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia heads north towards Civita Castellana, initially following the Tiber. From time to time
the buildings of modern Rome give room to sites retaining a rural aspect. The first tufa rocks, typical of the area north of Rome, appear on the left, while
on the right one sees the river flanked by meadows which once characterized Prati di Porta Castello.
Grottarossa and Celsa
Tombs at la Celsa and Grottarossa
Via Flaminia, although to a much lesser extent than Via Appia, was flanked
by funerary monuments. The ruins of a few of them can still be seen among the trees near the river or on the hills
overlooking the road, often covered with that picturesque vegetation which made the ruins of Rome so appealing to the travellers of the past.
Prima Porta
SS. Urbano e Lorenzo; walls supporting Livia's Villa; statue of Augustus in the Vatican Museums
The White House is the residence of the President of the United States of America; the White Hens (ad gallinas albas) was one of the
suburban residences of Emperor Augustus, or to be more precise of his beloved wife Livia. In 1863 excavations in this
villa led to the discovery of a statue of the emperor, which in addition to its high artistic value, is very interesting as it tells us exactly
how Augustus wanted to be portrayed for both political and religious reasons. The reference to the
white hens is due to a legend telling that Livia dreamt that an eagle had dropped in her arms a white
hen holding in its beak a laurel: the dream was interpreted as a favourable indication of glory and wealth and white hens
were bred at the villa. The villa was made of several terraces overlooking the river and supported by walls.
It had several subterranean rooms providing a refreshing haven during the hottest days. One of them was found in
excellent condition with a fresco decoration showing different plants and animals (now in Museo Nazionale Romano - Palazzo del Collegio Massimo).
The statue of Augustus is called Augustus of Prima Porta (first gate), after the name acquired by the location in the following
centuries. The aqueduct bringing water to the villa formed over Via Flaminia a sort of gate which travellers saw as
the first indication of having reached Rome. Only one pillar of the aqueduct is left next to a small church rebuilt in the
XVIIth century by Pope Urban VIII and of which the façade was spared when a modern building replaced the old one.
Malborghetto
Farmhouse built making use of a Roman arch
Malborghetto means evil small hamlet: it does not sound very reassuring: the name given to this building is
most likely due to the fact that travellers, who stopped here on the last leg of the journey to Rome, were often robbed. The lower part
of the building shows the neat design of Roman masonry, while the upper one is a medieval addition made
with stones. The building which was used as a tower, a farmhouse and a coach station was originally built as a triumphal arch dedicated to Emperor
Constantine. Here the emperor started the final battle against his rival Maxentius: the battle ended at Ponte Milvio where his enemy
fell into the river and was drowned.
Elements of the decoration of the arch
You may wish to move ahead along Via Flaminia.
Latium was enlarged in the 1920s with territories from the neighbouring regions: the map on the left shows the current borders of Latium; the map on the right has links to pages covering towns of historical Latium: in order to see them you must hover and click on the dots.
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