THE GARDENS OF ITALY. 



CHAPTER IX. 



PALAZZO DORIA PAMFILI, CORSO. 



THE PALAZZO BARBERINI. VILLA ALDOBRANDINI. 

 VILLA SCIARRA. THE BRITISH EMBASSY. 



THIS palace is a lofty building which stands on the site of the ancient monastery 

 of St. Ciriaque, which was suppressed in 1435 by Eugene IV. It was bought 

 by Cardinal Fazio Santorio, who built a palace with a cortile, surrounded by 

 porticoes. Subsequently he surrendered it to Julius II. It passed to his nephew, 

 F. M. della Rovere, Duke of Urbino on Julius's death, and then came to the Aldobrandini under 

 Clement VIII. Afterwards possessed by the Pamfili, it last of all passed to the Doria family of 

 Genoa. The most ancient part is the cortile by Bramante, built for Cardinal Santorio. The 

 stables are of the same date. The block facing the Collegio Romano, including the vestibule 

 and the grand staircase, is attributed to Pietro da Cortona, who built the adjoining church of 

 Santa Maria in Via Lati, or to Francesco Borromini. 



The Itinerario Instruttivo di Roma, by Mariano Vasi Romano of the Accademico Etrusco 

 (Rome, 1791), a handy book in three volumes bought by Soane in 1813, gives a description of 



this palace which, it says, is one of the largest and 

 most magnificent in Rome, having three different 

 fa9ades. That which faces towards the Collegio 

 Romano is declared to be the best designed, being 

 the work of Cavalier Borromini, executed for 

 D. Camillo Pamfili, who soon afterwards employed 

 Valvasori for the other front towards the Corso. 

 Finally the new wing towards the Piazza Venetia was 

 built by the last Prince of the house of Pamfili to 

 the design of Paolo Amalfio. On the death of this 

 Prince the Casa Doria inherited the sumptuous 

 palace. The internal decorations of the palace 

 correspond with its external magnificence. The 

 portico preceding the great staircase deserves attention 

 on account of the difficult construction of its vaulting 

 sustained by eight columns of Oriental granite. 

 The staircase is beautiful, and the apartments to 

 which it gives access are well planned and richly 

 ornamented with a famous collection of paintings. 



Passing through the suite of rooms a chapel is 

 reached, near which is a staircase of singular and 

 extravagant architecture. In looking back to these 

 old descriptive guides it is amusing to notice the 

 fluctuations of pictorial appreciation the forgotten 

 masters dwelt upon with meticulous care, and the 

 absence, or scanty mention, of pictures which would 

 now be alone considered worthy of attention. There 

 106. PLAN OF DORIA PALACE. is a tide in art, as in human affairs, which leads some 



Cnpr Ju Xamr* ry- Jtttf** ^ 



