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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page revised in September 2010.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Piazza Crescenzi (Book 2) (Rione Sant'Eustachio)

In this page:
 The plate by Giuseppe Vasi
 Today's view
 Palazzo Crescenzi and Palazzo Melchiorri

The Plate (No. 25 - ii)

Piazza Crescenzi


XVIIIth century Rome did not have a covered market; fruit and vegetables were sold at Piazza Navona; meat at Piazza della Rotonda, but market stands protected by small canopies were placed also in the streets between these two squares; the area near Palazzo Crescenzi housed the poultry market; the small etching by Giuseppe Vasi does not show women involved either in selling or buying.
The view is taken from the green dot in the 1748 map here below which shows: 1) Piazza Navona; 2) Piazza della Rotonda; 3) S. Eustachio; 4) Palazzo Crescenzi; 5) Palazzo Melchiorri. 1), 2) and 3) are shown in more detail in other pages.

Small Map

Today

The view today
The view in June 2010

In 1939 the small detached house shown in the etching was pulled down; Piazza Crescenzi (now Via di S. Eustachio) does not house the poultry market any longer, but it is one of the few locations in central Rome where parking is allowed. Two ancient granite columns which were found in 1934 near S. Luigi dei Francesi were re-erected along the side of S. Eustachio; they belonged to baths built by Emperor Nero and restored by Emperor Alexander Severus.

Palazzo Crescenzi

Palazzo Crescenzi and Palazzo Melchiorri
(left) Northern façade of Palazzo Crescenzi where the main entrance was located; (right) western façade of Palazzo Crescenzi (left) and Palazzo Melchiorri (right)

Palazzo Crescenzi was designed in the early XVIIth century; it was almost halved in 1882 to enlarge the street along the Pantheon and the entrance to the palace was relocated to Piazza Crescenzi; adjoining Palazzo Melchiorri was also reduced in size, but its entrance was already in Piazza Crescenzi.

Palazzo Crescenzi and Palazzo Melchiorri
(left) New entrance to Palazzo Crescenzi; (right-above) detail of Palazzo Melchiorri; (right-below) detail of Palazzo Crescenzi

The Crescenzi played a key role in the election of many medieval popes, but by the time they built this palace their importance was very much reduced; the Melchiorri became a noble family in 1585 when they acquired the fiefdom of Torrita from the Orsini.

Next plate in Book 2: Piazza Navona
Next step in your tour of Rione Sant'Eustachio: Piazza della Rotonda