On the 5th of Sept.2022,(during our 3-day trip of Rome) we set-off on a tour of some marvellous sights such as the spanish Steps ,Piazza de spagna ,Piazza Trinita Monti Church ,Palazzo Monaldeschni ,Fontana della Barcaccia & Piazza Mignanelli !We enjoyed the sights thoroughly.I will give some brief history of the places visited here!
The Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy:
Climb a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti (dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church) at the top.The monumental stairway of 135 steps was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Trinità dei Monti church under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, at the top of the steps, and the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See in the Palazzo Monaldeschi at the bottom of the steps. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi.The name can be a bit confusing, as construction of the steps was actually commissioned by the French (Louis XII). In the 17th century, the Spanish embassy was located on the square – ‘Piazza di Spagna’ – at the base of the stairs, hence the name ‘Spanish Steps’.Its Italian name is “Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti” and composed of 12 ramps and 135 travertine steps, it is considered the widest and longest staircase of Europe, welcoming millions of tourists and Romans who visit at all times of the day.The goal of the spanish steps was to link the church at the top of the stairs, which was also a French church, to Palazzo Manaldeschi below in Piazza di Spagna. The 135 stairs were designed by Francesco de Sanctis and were completed in 1725 after two years of hard work.
Piazza di Spagna :
In the Piazza di Spagna at the base is the Early Baroque fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia (“Fountain of the longboat”), built in 1627–29 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, father of a more famous son, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who is recently said to have collaborated on the decoration. The elder Bernini had been the pope’s architect for the Acqua Vergine, since 1623. According to a legend, Pope Urban VIII had the fountain installed after he had been impressed by a boat brought here by a flood of the Tiber.
In the piazza, at the corner on the right as one begins to climb the steps, is the house where English poet John Keats lived and died in 1821; it is now a museum dedicated to his memory, full of memorabilia of the English Romantic generation. On the same right side stands the 15th-century former cardinal Lorenzo Cybo de Mari’s palace, now Ferrari di Valbona, a building altered in 1936 to designs by Marcello Piacentini, the main city planner during Fascism, with modern terraces perfectly in harmony with the surrounding baroque context.
The Fontana della Barcaccia (“Fountain of the Boat”):
It is a Baroque-style fountain found at the foot of the Spanish Steps in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Square). Pope Urban VIII commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629 by Pietro possibly along with the help of his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini, especially after his father’s death on August 29, 1629. The sculptural fountain is made into the shape of a half-sunken ship with water overflowing its sides into a small basin. The source of the water comes from the Acqua Vergine, an aqueduct from 19 BCE. Bernini built this fountain to be slightly below street level due to the low water pressure from the aqueduct. Water flows from seven points of fountain: the center baluster; two inside the boat from sun-shaped human faces; and four outside the boat.
According to legend, as the River Tiber flooded in 1598, water carried a small boat into the Piazza di Spagna. When the water receded, boat was deposited in the center of the square & this event that inspired Bernini’s creation. The fountain is decorated with the papal coat of arms of the Barberini family as a reminder of Pope Urban VIII’s ancestry.
Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli:
Its a late-Renaissance palace in Rome, overlooking Piazza Mignanelli and Piazza di Spagna. The palace was built around 1575 by Alessandro Moschetti for count Girolamo Gabrielli, of a noble family from Gubbio. The chosen location was at the edge of the Pincian hill, over what remained of the fabled gardens of Lucullus. In the 16th century the area was still considered periurban, and the palace was the first monumental building erected there. As a result of the marriage between Carlo Gabrielli, Girolamo’s nephew, and Maria Mignanelli, relative of cardinal Fabio Mignanelli, celebrated in 1615, the palace was presented by the Gabriellis to the Mignanellis, who owned the building until 1871 and gave their name to the square in front of the palace. After having been rented to different institutions from the late 18th century onwards, the building became the property of the Holy See in 1887, and on that occasion was restored and enlarged by Andrea Busiri Vici. Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli is today the residence of Valentino Garavani as well as the Roman headquarters of his maison.
PIAZZA MIGNANELLI :
Piazza Mignanelli takes its name from the palazzo owned by the Mignanelli family, originally from Siena. Constructed by the architect Mr. Moschetti, the building is now the headquarters of the high fashion designer, Valentino. The apartment, situated on the first floor of the ancient building, has six balconies with views of ‘Column of The Immaculate Virgin Mary’ and in the background, the Barcaccia (Boat) fountain of Lorenzo Bernini. Recently renovated with high quality finishes.
The Roman Catholic church of the Santissima Trinità dei Monti :
Its often called merely the Trinità dei Monti, is a Roman Catholic late Renaissance titular church in Rome, central Italy. It is best known for its position above the Spanish Steps which lead down to the famous Piazza di Spagna. The church and its surrounding area (including the Villa Medici) are a French State property. In 1494, Saint Francis of Paola, a hermit from Calabria, bought a vineyard from the papal scholar and former patriarch of Aquileia, Ermolao Barbaro, and then obtained the authorization from Pope Alexander VI to establish a monastery for the Minimite Friars. In 1502, Louis XII of France began construction of the church of the Trinità dei Monti next to this monastery, to celebrate his successful invasion of Naples. Building work began in a French style with pointed late Gothic arches, but construction lagged. The present Italian Renaissance church was eventually built in its place and finally consecrated in 1585 by the great urbanizer Pope Sixtus V, whose via Sistina connected the Piazza della Trinità dei Monti (outside the church) to the Piazza Barberini across the city.
Monaldeschi Palace: Headquarters of the Embassy of Spain:
The Palace of Spain located in the famous Piazzia di Spagna (Spain’s Square), in the historic center of Rome, a square that in fact takes its name from the Palace. The construction between plants and terraces that constitute one of the most beautiful and rich architectural works of the time.The Palace of Spain or Monaldeschi Palace is a baroque palace that houses the Embassy of Spain to the Holy See since 1647.
The Spanish ambassadors had rented the Monaldeschi Palace for more than a decade. In 1647, the new ambassador, Íñigo Vélez de Guevara, 8th Count of Oñate, made an offer for the palace, owned by the Monaldeschi Family, an old Roman noble family, through an Italian agent, Bernardino Barber, and later obtained the permission of purchase of the Congregation of Barons of the Pontifical State, that had the power to approve the sale of important palaces. Barber bought it for 22,000 Roman scudos and was immediately transferred to the Count of Oñate. Soon after, four other houses next to the palace were bought to expand the building. In 1654, the palace was acquired by the Spanish crown as a permanent residence for ambassadors.King Philip IV sent 19,000 ducats for maintenance and repair.
My dear readers may kindly point out any incorrect information in my above writeup needing any corrections! I am truly indebted to Wikipedia & for the invaluable information on the subject !Happy Reading !
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