98 
THE GARDENS OF ITALY. 
CHAPTER IX. 
PALAZZO DORIA PAMFILI, CORSO. 
THE PALAZZO BARBERINI. VILLA ALDOBRANDINI. 
VILLA SCIARRA. THE BRITISH EMBASSY. 
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HIS 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 w'as 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 Insfruttivo di Roma, by Mariano Vasi Romano of the Accademico Etrusco 
(Rome, 1791), a handy book in three volumes bought by Soane in 1S13, gives a description of 
this palace which, it says, is one of the largest and 
most magnificent in Rome, having three different 
faqadcs. 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. 
Ednallv 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 bv 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 
is a tide in art, as in human affairs, which leads some 
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-PLAN OF DORIA PALACE. 
