  What's New! Detailed Sitemap All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore. Page revised in July 2009. |  Palazzo Marescotti già Estense (Book 4) (Day 4) (View C7) (Rione Pigna) and (Rione Sant'Eustachio) In this page:
In the title of the plate Vasi made reference to the fact that the palace had belonged for some fifty years to the Este, the family of the dukes of Modena (and previously of Ferrara). The Marescotti bought the building in 1746 so it is understandable that many were still familiar with its old name.
The design of the palace is attributed to Giacomo della Porta; it was commissioned by Cardinal Marcantonio Maffei, but at his death in 1583 the uncompleted palace was sold to the Peretti: it was the first of many changes of property.
Today
To say that Vasi took some liberties in his plate is an understatement. Palazzo Marescotti was and still is imprisoned in a web of narrow streets and this is what you see of it from the viewpoint chosen by Vasi, which is clearly identifiable by the ruins called l'Arco della Ciambella. Palazzo Marescotti
The palace now belongs to the Holy See and it houses office of the Vicarage of Rome; the windows are decorated with stag heads, a heraldic symbol of the Maffei; other details cannot be ascribe with certainty to any of the many owners of the palace.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus and one of his most trusted advisors. He superintended the construction of a series of buildings in Campus Martius (Field of Mars), the swampy land almost surrounded by the Tiber, which was used for military training purposes. He built the Pantheon, a Basilica dedicated to Neptune and the first large public baths of the City of Rome. An aqueduct (Aqua Virgo) carried water to the baths and to the whole area which was embellished with a pond (Stagnum Agrippae) linked to the Tiber by a canal: it was named Euripus, after Egripos, the narrow channel which separates the Greek island of Euboea from the mainland. The surviving walls of the baths belong to a restoration by an emperor of the Severian family; they supported the vault of the main hall; when the vault collapsed the walls formed a circle around an empty space, so they were called la Ciambella, the doughnut.
St. Benedict was born in Norcia, a small town near Spoleto and the tiny community of immigrants from Norcia dedicated to him and to his sister Scolastica a little church near Arco della Ciambella. The church was part of a building which provided lodging to pilgrims and care for the sick of the community.
The Norcini were known as skilled butchers with a reputation for hams and salamis: still today a few shops build on this reputation, although their best-selling products are based on tartufo nero di Norcia (black truffle).
The name of the church makes reference to Pigna, the large bronze fir-cone (now in Cortile del Belvedere) which once stood on this site. The old church which dated back to the Xth century was replaced in the second half of the XVIIth century by a new building designed by Angelo Torrone. The church belonged for centuries to Arciconfraternita dei Carcerati, a brotherhood providing assistance to prisoners. The decoration of the church has several references to the fir-cone.
Most of the buildings in Via di Torre Argentina, the street marking the border between Rione Sant'Eustachio and Rione Pigna, have late Renaissance features, but the narrowness of the street makes it difficult to notice them. Palazzo Datti gained from the opening of Corso Vittorio Emanuele in the late XIXth century, but not from the opening of shops. Palazzo Sinibaldi, another Renaissance palace has one of the oldest sacred images of Rome. The courtyard of another building along the same street is embellished by a finely designed fountain. Excerpts from Giuseppe Vasi 1761 Itinerary related to this page:
Next plate in Book 4: Palazzo Mattei Next step in Day 7 itinerary: Chiesa delle Stimmate di S. Francesco Next step in tour of Rione Pigna: Palazzo Altieri Next step in your tour of Rione Sant'Eustachio: Archiginnasio della Sapienza |
