Home

Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
What's New!

Detailed Sitemap

All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Chiesa di S. Maria del Rosario (Book 7) (Day 8) (View C2)

In this page:
 The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
 Today's view
 Villa Mellini e S. Lazzaro in Borgo
 Cappella del SS. Crocifisso
 S. Francesco d'Assisi
 Villa Massimo alla Balduina

The Plate (No. 129 - ii)

Chiesa di S. Maria del Rosario

Monte Mario is the hill which closes the little marshy plain north of Castel Sant'Angelo which was called i Prati (meadows) di Castello. In the valley between the two peaks of Monte Mario there was the Friary of S. Maria del Rosario. The view is taken from the green dot in the XIXth century map below. In the description below the plate Vasi made reference to: 1) S. Maria del Rosario; 2) Cappella del SS. Crocifisso e Villa Mellini. The small map shows also 3) S. Lazzaro in Borgo.

Small ViewSmall View

Today

View of Monte Mario


Today's view of Monte Mario is not very different from that of the past . The 1841 print shows a line of trees going up the hill. They flanked Via Trionfale (Triumphalis) a road linking Ponte Trionfale with Via Flaminia and which was part of the itinerary followed by the consuls returning to Rome to be recognised for their victories in a procession called triumph.

The view today

S. Maria del Rosario is today a Nunnery and behind it there is one of the poshest boroughs of Rome. The façade was built in 1726 by Filippo Raguzzini during the pontificate of Pope Benedictus XIII. The pope had been a Dominican friar and the monastery belonged to the Dominicans.

Villa Mellini e S. Lazzaro in Borgo

Observatory of Monte Mario

Villa Mellini, today the seat of the astronomical observatory of Rome (once in Collegio Romano) was built in the XVIth century and it was known for its excellent view over Rome. S. Lazzaro in Borgo is a tiny XIIth century church at the foot of the hill, now a bit difficult to find as it is hidden by modern buildings.
Read Henry James's account of his visit to Villa Mellini in 1873.

The little chapel of the SS. Crocifisso mentioned in the plate is lost.

S. Francesco d'Assisi

S. Francesco d'Assisi

The small church dedicated to St. Francis is located along Via Trionfale where St. Francis first saw Rome. Today the urban development of Rome obstructs the view. The church was built during the pontificate of Benedictus XIII and it has the fine (and not very expensive) stucco decorations typical of that period. A modern relief shows the reaction of St. Francis when he first saw the Eternal City.

Villa Massimo alla Balduina

Villa Massimo alla Balduina

Abito alla Balduina "I live in Balduina" is not only an indication of where you live, but a sort of status symbol which says that you are very wealthy (or that you pretend to be). It is very expensive to buy or rent a flat in this modern quarter of Rome, built on the rear part of Monte Mario on the site of some old villas, chiefly of Villa Massimo. The pines which here and there embellish the most expensive houses belong to the old villa.
Its main building still exists at No 296 of Via della Balduina, behind a modern church. The two wings have lost their late XVIIth century decoration, but the central part retains it. From this point the Massimo enjoyed a great (although remote) view over Rome.

Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:


Chiesa di s. Lazzaro
Circa l'anno 1187. fu questa piccola chiesa eretta da un povero di nazione Francese con uno spedale per i poveri lebbrosi, e fu dedicata a s. Lazzaro mendico, e similmente al fratello di s. Maria Maddalena penitente; ma essendo ora stato eretto lo spedale di s. Gallicano in Trastevere per li rognosi, con quelli furono uniti i lebbrosi, rimanendo quivi la cura delle anime, dipendente dalla basilica Vaticana, proseguendo poi il cammino per il clivo del monte, che anticamente dicevasi di Cinna, si trova nell'alto la
Chiesa del ss. Crocifisso a monte Mario
Fu questa piccola chiesa, o cappella eretta circa l'anno 1470. in onore della ss. Croce da Pietro Mellini, quivi presso una sua possessione, e vi si conserva il corpo di s. Moderato martire. Si vede poi dall'altra parte della strada, e sull'alto del monte la
Chiesa e Conv. di s. Maria del Rosario
Da Gio. Vittorio de Rossi fu eretta questa chiesa, a cui è unito il convento de' frati Domenicani, che fu rinnovato da Benedetto XIII. il quale vi andava spesso a dimorarvi, trattenendosi religiosamente e senza Corte, appunto come uno di quei frati. Nell'altra punta del monte evvi la
Villa e casino Mellini
Non già da Mario Console, ma da Mario della famiglia Mellini Romana, prese il moderno nome questo monte, mentre avendo nel Pontificato di Sisto IV. eretta questa villa nel più alto e delizioso luogo del monte, che malo dicevasi, egli cambiolli il nome in monte Mario. Dalla parte di esso verso ponente, e verso il fine delle vigne, evvi la chiesa di s Francesco di Assisi edificata dall'abate Neri con il convento, ove oggi abitano i frati Girolamini di s. Onofrio, i quali amministrano la cura delle anime di quella contrada.


Next plate in Book 7: Chiesa e Convento di S. Pasquale
Next step in Day 8 itinerary: Villa Madama