Palazzo Borghese
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Palazzo Borghese is a palace in Rome, Italy. it was the residence of the Borghese family in the city, and was nicknamed Cembalo Borghese due to its unusual plant.
The construction was begun as a small palace commissioned by Cardinal Dezza to by Martino Longhi the Elder in 1590. At the end of the century, the palace and the surrounding area was acquired by Cardinal Camillo Borghese (future Pope Paul V) who had the edifice enlarged by Flaminio Ponzio until 1613 and completed by Carlo Maderno and Giovanni Vasanzio. After 1670 Carlo Rainaldi added new features.
The main façade has a majestic portal with two columns and a balcony. Ponzio was responsible of the secondary façade with two further balconies on the Via di Ripetta, facing the Tiber River. The edifice has a magnificent inner court of high-arched shape, surrounded by 96 granite columns and decorated with statues, fountains and other features, as well as a secret garden built for Cardinal Giovan Battista Borghese in 1672. The court was described as "one of the most spectacular existing, not only in Rome"[1].
The main façade on the square of Fontanella Borghese is faced by another Borghese Palace, built in the 16th century by Scipio Borghese to house the lesser members of the family, the stables and the servants.
Palazzo Borghese was the original seat of the family's art collection, with works by Raphael, Titian and many others. The works are now mostly at the Galleria Borghese.
[edit] References
- Fischer, Heinz-Joachim (2001). Rom. Zweieinhalb Jahrtausende Geschichte, Kunst und Kultur der Ewigen Stadt. Cologne: DuMont Buchverlag.
- Henze, Anton (1994). Kunstführer Rom. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam.
- Rendina, Claudio (1999). Enciclopedia di Roma. Rome: Newton Compton.
