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Typology: Buildings

Address

Address: Via delle Quattro Fontane
Zone: Rione Trevi (Quirinale-Tritone-Barberini) (Roma centro)
Angolo via Venti Settembre

Description

The palace, built by Domenico Fontana between 1587 and 1590 for Muzio Mattei, was purchased in the mid-seventeenth century by Cardinal Francesco Massimo, who was succeeded in 1677 by another cardinal, Francesco Merli. When he died in 1707, the palace was bought by a third cardinal, Alessandro Albani, and it was then that the building underwent changes, extending into what is now Via Venti Settembre (then called Strada Pia) thanks to the purchase of a neighbouring house and the transformation of the first floor loggia into a closed gallery with frescoes by Giovanni Paolo Pannini. The work was carried out by Alessandro Specchi, who also took care of the finishing touches to the garden, which was adorned with many of the Albani family's heraldic symbols, and the construction of a belvedere tower, located at the corner of the Quattro Fontane crossroads, exactly above the Arno fountain. The chamfered corner (photo 6) has a balcony with a balustrade on the first floor, with a French window in a niche under the arch of which is an oval stucco with the image of Mary; on the second floor there is another balcony with an iron railing, also with a French window in a niche. The interior was enriched with the splendid collection of ancient statues that were later transferred to the family villa on the Via Salaria. Cardinal Albani, an expert bibliophile, also set up an impressive library of about 40,000 volumes, which was unfortunately lost during the French invasion of 1798. The building has a simple floor plan, in which the various rooms are arranged around a large central and a smaller courtyard. The rooms on the ground floor and the flats on the piano nobile are connected by a main staircase that starts from the main courtyard and has, on a wall at the foot of the staircase, fragments of opus sectile marmoreum from the chapel of St. Andrea Catabarbara. The Albani family was succeeded in the mid-19th century by Queen Maria Cristina, widow of Ferdinand VII of Spain, who also left her mark on the building, covering the garden with a ballroom. When she died, Prince Del Drago, her son-in-law, took over. He had a private theatre built on the ground floor, the 'Teatro delle Quattro Fontane', which remained in use until 1914.

Last checked: 2021-05-13 16:22