This has been a busy weekend as we try to make the most of the last few months in Rome, four years already in Italy. Friday night we went to a wonderful Spanish Tapas restaurant at 79 Via Nomentana just at Porta Pia, Toros Y Tapas, the food was as good as what we had in Barcelona and Madrid. Saturday we had an early concert at the Accademia Santa Cecilia at the Parco della Musica.
Today, Sunday we went to visit the Doria-Pamphilj Family Palace in the heart of Rome, at a 1000 rooms it is one of the largest family palaces still inhabited by the original occupant though I would think that Prince Colonna a block up also has a palace that is close in size. The fame and wealth of the Doria-Pamphilj comes from 2 sources, one was the famous Admiral Andrea Doria who defeated the Turkish Ottoman navy at Lepanto many centuries ago and the other is Pope Innocent X. Through the centuries, the family amassed art treasures and the palace is full of them, Bernini, Velasquez, Caravaggio to name a few.
Today Prince Jonathan Doria-Pamphilj has opened the great State Rooms of the Palace to the public. These rooms represent only one third of the building, the rest is private apartments and gardens which is not open and where he lives with his companion and his two kids. The entrance to the gallery is on Via del Corso, though the palace borders also Via del Plebicito and Piazza del Collegio Romano.
The Doria-Pamphilj also had other properties in Rome, Piazza Navona was largely decorated and designed by the artists they commissioned, there is also another large palace on that piazza which is now the Embassy of Brazil and the Church of Santa Agnese in Agony bears their coat of Arms. Pope Innocent X also endowed St-Peter's Basilica with bas-relief and inlaid marble floors.
Pope Innocent X Pamphilj
Across the Tiber on the Janiculum Hill stood their summer palace, Bel Respiro and enormous park which borders the Vatican State. It is now a public park, I blogged about this a few weeks ago, look at entry of 4 January. The view of Rome and the Vatican from the Doria-Pamphilj Gardens is breathtaking.
While you visit the Palace with the audio-guide, Prince Jonathan narrates the story of the building. He tells colorful stories of his ancestors, one being Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilij (1591-1657), who was a very strong will women not content with the role assigned to her in the 17th century. She was the widow of Pamphilo Pamphilj brother of the Pope. She arranged for her brother-in-law Innocent X (1574-1655) to be elected Pope. She also was a very shrewd business women and was always looking for ways of making money. Once Innocent X was elected Pope she convinced him that it was highly immoral for the Vatican to collect taxes on brothels in Rome so why not give her the monopoly of taxing brothels. He did and to avoid having the Rome Papal Police raid her many houses of pleasure, she had the Papal Coat of Arms put over the doors. The Doria-Pamphilj family made a lot of money which ensured the future prosperity of the family. She also looted the Papal Palace on the morning after Innocent X died and even stole 2 large chests full of gold coins under his bed. There was so little left in the Papal Palace of any value that the Pope's butler had to pay for his burial. Donna Olimpia stated that she being a poor widow could not afford to pay for the dead Pope's funeral this is why she had left the body in his room for 3 days. Why anyone bought that story with her living in her own enormous palace is beyond me.
Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj
Another colorful ancestor was Prince Camillo who was Cardinal Nipote or Secretary of State of the Holy See, being the nephew of the Pope he was very powerful but he resigned his duties and his hat of Cardinal to marry Princess Olimpia Aldobrandini who was the widow of Prince Paolo Borghese, with this marriage Camillo ensured that even more money entered into the family coffers. At the time it made a terrible scandal but when he produced an heir all was forgotten.
The Doria-Pamphilj Palace today needs a lot of repair and renovations but it is nonetheless a wonderful place to visit and gives a good idea how the mighty lived.
Today, Sunday we went to visit the Doria-Pamphilj Family Palace in the heart of Rome, at a 1000 rooms it is one of the largest family palaces still inhabited by the original occupant though I would think that Prince Colonna a block up also has a palace that is close in size. The fame and wealth of the Doria-Pamphilj comes from 2 sources, one was the famous Admiral Andrea Doria who defeated the Turkish Ottoman navy at Lepanto many centuries ago and the other is Pope Innocent X. Through the centuries, the family amassed art treasures and the palace is full of them, Bernini, Velasquez, Caravaggio to name a few.
Today Prince Jonathan Doria-Pamphilj has opened the great State Rooms of the Palace to the public. These rooms represent only one third of the building, the rest is private apartments and gardens which is not open and where he lives with his companion and his two kids. The entrance to the gallery is on Via del Corso, though the palace borders also Via del Plebicito and Piazza del Collegio Romano.
The Doria-Pamphilj also had other properties in Rome, Piazza Navona was largely decorated and designed by the artists they commissioned, there is also another large palace on that piazza which is now the Embassy of Brazil and the Church of Santa Agnese in Agony bears their coat of Arms. Pope Innocent X also endowed St-Peter's Basilica with bas-relief and inlaid marble floors.
Across the Tiber on the Janiculum Hill stood their summer palace, Bel Respiro and enormous park which borders the Vatican State. It is now a public park, I blogged about this a few weeks ago, look at entry of 4 January. The view of Rome and the Vatican from the Doria-Pamphilj Gardens is breathtaking.
While you visit the Palace with the audio-guide, Prince Jonathan narrates the story of the building. He tells colorful stories of his ancestors, one being Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilij (1591-1657), who was a very strong will women not content with the role assigned to her in the 17th century. She was the widow of Pamphilo Pamphilj brother of the Pope. She arranged for her brother-in-law Innocent X (1574-1655) to be elected Pope. She also was a very shrewd business women and was always looking for ways of making money. Once Innocent X was elected Pope she convinced him that it was highly immoral for the Vatican to collect taxes on brothels in Rome so why not give her the monopoly of taxing brothels. He did and to avoid having the Rome Papal Police raid her many houses of pleasure, she had the Papal Coat of Arms put over the doors. The Doria-Pamphilj family made a lot of money which ensured the future prosperity of the family. She also looted the Papal Palace on the morning after Innocent X died and even stole 2 large chests full of gold coins under his bed. There was so little left in the Papal Palace of any value that the Pope's butler had to pay for his burial. Donna Olimpia stated that she being a poor widow could not afford to pay for the dead Pope's funeral this is why she had left the body in his room for 3 days. Why anyone bought that story with her living in her own enormous palace is beyond me.
Another colorful ancestor was Prince Camillo who was Cardinal Nipote or Secretary of State of the Holy See, being the nephew of the Pope he was very powerful but he resigned his duties and his hat of Cardinal to marry Princess Olimpia Aldobrandini who was the widow of Prince Paolo Borghese, with this marriage Camillo ensured that even more money entered into the family coffers. At the time it made a terrible scandal but when he produced an heir all was forgotten.
The Doria-Pamphilj Palace today needs a lot of repair and renovations but it is nonetheless a wonderful place to visit and gives a good idea how the mighty lived.
One of the best books I read last year was the biography of Olympia. I was subtitled 'The real female pope'. It was delicious and very intriguing. Too bad people obsess over "Pope Joan" which didn't exist; when there was an actual popess - Olpmpia. What a story.
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