Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

A trace of the past is sometimes hidden in small decorative elements of a monument.

Clement VIII

Balustrade of Villa Aldobrandini in Rome with little globes showing the family symbols (in the background Palazzo del Quirinale)

Pope Clement VIII (Ippolito Aldobrandini) made a lot of use of the themes of his coat of arms ( stripes and stars) to decorate buildings he erected or restored (e.g. S. Cesareo in Palatio and Palazzo Senatorio).

Small column in Piazza S. Pietro

Clement VIII completed the decoration of the southern nave of S. Pietro and outside the Basilica one can find small columns with the family symbols.

Secret garden in Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati

The large and imposing Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati is all decorated with stripes and stars, even the garden shows them.
You may wish to see a page on the heraldic symbols of this pope.

Paul V

Small columns at Palazzo del Quirinale (left) and Fontana dell'Acqua Paola (right)

The eagles and dragons of Pope Paul V (Camillo Borghese) were particularly suitable for marking the Pope's accomplishments.
The monument which still reminds Romans of the Pope is Fontana dell'Acqua Paola which celebrates the completion of the aqueduct bringing water to the western part of Rome. The fountain decoration is complemented by elegant small columns with the eagle and the dragon.
Pope Alexander VII who built steps to allow easier access to the fountain had a similar little column with his mountains.

Urban VIII

Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo

The industrious bees of Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) were used by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in many buildings and monuments he designed for the Pope, e.g. Fontana delle Api.

Innocent X

Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona

The doves of Pope Innocent X (Giovan Battista Pamphilj) rest on the small columns at the entrance to Palazzo Pamphilj in Piazza Navona.

Innocent XIII

(left and right-above) Globe (also in the image used as background for this page) and column in Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti; (right-below) near Obelisco Vaticano in Piazza S. Pietro

Not all the popes had symbols suitable for decoration, but the coat of arms of Pope Innocent XIII (Michelangelo Conti) was made of a chequered eagle which made it clearly identifiable. Unfortunately the Pope did not have time enough to mark with his eagle many accomplishments. The lack of many eagles is however compensated by the fact that they can be found in very famous sites, e.g. in Piazza di Spagna and Piazza S. Pietro.

Benedict XIV

Small column in SS. Pietro e Marcellino

Pope Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini) had a very simple coat of arms, made of vertical red and yellow stripes. The little columns outside SS. Pietro e Marcellino are a reminder of his financing the erection of the church, but maybe today someone can believe the stripes are there to make uncomfortable sitting on the column!