Villa Farnesina and the Frescoes by Raphael
Built in the early sixteenth century at the behest of Agostino Chigi, rich banker from Siena, the Villa Farnesina in Rome, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei properties, it is one of the most noble and harmonious achievements of the Italian Renaissance.
Villa Farnesina and the Frescoes by Raphael
Built in the early sixteenth century at the behest of Agostino Chigi, rich banker from Siena, the Villa Farnesina in Rome, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei properties, it is one of the most noble and harmonious achievements of the Italian Renaissance.
The building, on two floors, has an innovative horseshoe plant, which opens to the garden with two wings between which there is a lodge located in the ground floor and consists of five arches.
The tour inside the Villa starts from the entrance hall and the ticket office on the ground floor.
You can visit the local representation: the Loggia of Galatea, where frescoes by Raphael, Sebastiano del Piombo and Baldassarre Peruzzi, the Loggia of Love and Psyche, where the fresco painted in 1518 by Raphael and the Loggia of Fregio, named after the painted frieze at the summit of the walls by Baldassare Peruzzi.
The Villa Farnesina is located in Via della Lungara 230, open Monday to Saturday from 9 to 14, excluding Sundays and holidays.
Villa Farnesina is walking distance from Hotel San Francesco
From the hotel you can reach it in only 14 minutes walk!
You have to take Via di San Francesco a Ripa and walk straight up to Santa Maria in Trastevere. Once you get there, take the first left for Via della Scala and you will find the Villa Farnesina on your right side.
English Depliant (click to enlarge)
This article has been edited by our receptionist Aileen
credits: www.villafarnesina.it
![The amazing Castel Sant'Angelo [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5571a376e4b0ce0031784ab5/1448791242274-IF53P94RXMBYIJ57SM8Y/image-asset.jpeg)
Palazzo Spada: a columns-gallery with a different perspective
Palazzo Spada is an impressive building built in 1550 by Cardinal Capo di Ferro, later restored by Bernini and Borromini who created a unique full play of perspectives in a columns-gallery.
Palazzo Spada is an impressive building built in 1550 by Cardinal Capo di Ferro, later restored by Bernini and Borromini who created a unique full play of perspectives in a columns-gallery.
Looking at the facade with reliefs and entering the courtyard finely decorated with stucco you can relive all the past greatness of Rome. This impressive building was built in 1550 by Cardinal Capo di Ferro, later restored by Bernini and Borromini on behalf of Cardinal Bernardino Spada, who lived here in the 17th century.
A full play of perspectives brings you in the columns-gallery of Borromini, that looks four times larger than it is.
Over the centuries the cardinals gathered paintings, sculpture and precious furniture. The masterworks: Andrea del Sarto, The Visitation and Guercinos Death of Dido.
How to reach it from Hotel San Francesco
From Hotel San Francesco, you can take the tram n. 8 direction “Piazza Venezia” and get off at the 3rd stop “Arenula/Min. Giustizia”; from there Palazzo Spada is 5 minutes walking distance, in Piazza Capo di Ferro, 13.
Post edited by our receptionist Giuseppe
Palazzo Barberini: A walk among art masterpieces
The Barberini Palace hosts the National Gallery of Ancient Art, entirely restored, located in Via delle Quattro Fontane, near Barberini Square
The Barberini Palace hosts the National Gallery of Ancient Art, entirely restored, located in Via delle Quattro Fontane, near Barberini Square
When Maffei Barberini became Pope Urban VIII in 1623, he decided that his family palace would have been constructed in the outskirts of the city, near the ruins of a temple. The task was entrusted to the architect Carlo Maderno, who built it as a country villa with wings that extended into the surrounding gardens. Unfortunately shortly after the laying of the foundations Carlo Maderno died and was succeeded by Bernini and Borromini, who brought his artistic mark through the elliptical spiral staircase inside.
Palazzo Barberini - Roma
The Barberini Palace hosts the National Gallery of Ancient Art, entirely restored. On the ground floor (reopened 2010) you can see paintings from the 12th to the 15th century; on the first floor (reopened2010) you can find artworks from the 16th and the 17th centuries until the Caravaggeschi and the Emiliani; on the second floor (reopened 2011) the late 17th century and the 18th century until the Roman Neoclassicism. Since 2011 the Palace has also an exhibition hall for temporary shows. The masterworks: Guido Reni, The Portrait of Beatrice Cenci, the young man who was executed for the murder of his father, and the beautiful Raphaels Fornarina, the crazy passion of the painter.
How to reach it from Hotel San Francesco
From Hotel San Francesco, you can take the tram n° 8 getting off at Via Arenula.
Then just take the bus n° 63, getting off at Barberini Square; Palazzo Barberini is located in Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13.
Post edited by our receptionist Giuseppe
The Moses by Michelangelo
The Moses by Michelangelo is certainly one of his best works and it is housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
In 1505, Pope Julius II gave to Michelangelo the commission to design and sculpt his tomb. The initial design was massive and called...
The Moses by Michelangelo
It's certainly one of his best works and it is housed in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
In 1505, Pope Julius II gave to Michelangelo the commission to design and sculpt his tomb. The initial design was massive and called for over 40 statues, showing various figures creating a dynamic space and a true statement on the importance of Julius.
The project, however, was interrupted many times and, after the death of the Pope, the scale of the tomb was greatly reduced and Michelangelo made only one figure for the tomb, Moses.
The Moses by Michelangelo
He is shown as seated, holding stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments from God. His body faces forward. His head with its mighty beard looks to the left. His right foot rests on the ground and his left leg is raised so that only the toes touch the ground.
The facial expression of Moses is characterised as showing a mixture of wrath, pain, and contempt.
Curiosities
Once finished the statue, it seemed so real and alive that Michelangelo violently hit the knee of the statue with a hammer, shouting, "Why don't you speak to me?"
Michelangelo’s Moses is depicted with horns on his head. This is believed to be because of the mistranslation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Latin by St Jerome. Moses is actually described as having "rays of the skin of his face", which Jerome in the Vulgate had translated as "horns". The mistake in translation is possible because the word "keren" in the Hebrew language can mean either "radiated (light)" or "grew horns".
How to reach it from Hotel San Francesco
From Hotel San Francesco you can take the bus no 75 that in about 20 minutes arrives at the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, where you can find the Moses.
The amazing Castel Sant'Angelo [VIDEO]
Built around 123 A.D. as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian and his family, Castel Sant'Angelo has an unusual destiny in the history and art of the Rome. While all the other Roman monuments are overwhelmed...
Built around 123 A.D. as a tomb for Emperor Hadrian and his family, Castel Sant'Angelo has an unusual destiny in the history and art of the Rome.
While all the other Roman monuments are overwhelmed, reduced to ruins or quarries counting to be recycled into new, modern buildings, the Castle - through an uninterrupted series of developments and transformations that seem to slip into one another seamlessly continuity - goes for nearly two thousand years the fate and history of Rome. From funerary monument to a fortified outpost, from dark and terrible prison wonderful Renaissance that sees active within its walls Michelangelo, from prison to the Risorgimento Museum, Castel Sant'Angelo embodies the solemn Roman spaces, in massive walls, in the sumptuous frescoed rooms, the story of the eternal city where past and present appear inextricably linked
Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome
There is no other place like this in Rome. When you get through the gate for the first time, a peacefulness atmosphere surround you.
Men from all over the world, rest together, under pine and cypress trees. The cemetery population is incredible rich in writers, painters and poets as Keats and Shelley.
A unique place, out of the tourist route.
There is no other place like this in Rome. When you get through the gate for the first time, a peacefulness atmosphere surround you.
Men from all over the world, rest together, under pine and cypress trees. The cemetery population is incredible rich in writers, painters and poets as Keats and Shelley.
"It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place," wrote Shelley, before he was buried here.
In the past, it happened that, according to the ecclesiastical laws of the Catholic Church, Protestants were not allowed to be buried neither in Catholic churches nor in consecrated ground. Therefore, burial places for non-Catholics, like the one in Rome, came into use early, in some much-visited Italian harbor cities. The earliest grave to be founded is that of George Langton who died in 1738.
This beautiful cemetery is entirely self-supporting and it does not receives regular public funding. For this reason you will be asked to contribute with, at least € 3,00 each, for your visit.
From the site, there is also an excellent view of the Pyramid of Cestius but, unfortunately, is not possible to access to the archeological area.
During your visit, you probably will run into many cats. They are part of a colony since 1850 and they have their own website in English, Italian and German, (www.igattidellapiramide.it). You can also donate some money. There is a small case inside the cemetery.
How to reach it from Hotel San Francesco
To go to the cemetery from Hotel San Francesco you can take the bus n. 3 and stop on via Marmorata, close to Piramide subway station or you can have a walk. It takes about 20 minutes.
The main entrance is on Via Caio Cestio, 6 that is a side street off via Marmorata.
Opening times
The cemetery is open from Monday to Saturday, from 9.00 am to 15.00 pm (last entrance: 16:30 pm) and on Sundays, from 9.00 am to 13.00 pm (last entrance:12.30).
Author: our receptionist Cecilia
The Rape of Proserpina - G. L. Bernini 1622
Only the genius of Bernini could make the hard marble look as soft as the human skin.
You will not believe your eyes once in front of this masterpiece...
The Rape of Proserpina is one of the most beautiful sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The work was committed by Cardinal Scipione Borghese and completed in 1622 when Bernini was only 23 years old.
Since 1908, the masterpiece can be admired at the Borghese Gallery of Rome thanks to the Italian State who purchased it and returned to the original place from the Villa of Cardinal Ludovisi.
Only the genius of Bernini could make the hard marble look as soft as the human skin
The Rape of Proserpina - Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1622
Useful information
To book tickets: tel. +39 06 32810
Guided tours booking: fax +39 06 8555952
To visit Galleria Borghese, the ticket reservation is needed
Tickets can be reserved on-line using the site www.tosc.it
Free tickets for Roma Pass holders and the tour guides are only bookable through the Reservation Center (Tel: +39 06 32810 - Mon-Fri 9:00 to 18:00, Sat 9:00 to 13:00, closed Sun and holidays, 24 and 31 December 9:00 am to 13:00 pm)
The Legend of Santa Cecilia
The church of Santa Cecilia is located about a 5 minutes walk from Hotel San Francesco and it definitely worths a visit
As per the legend, the house is built on Cecil’s family house “a distinguished virgin, born from a noble roman lineage”, suffering her torment around 22 AD ...
The church of Santa Cecilia is located about a 5 minutes walk from Hotel San Francesco and it definitely worths a visit
As per the legend, the house is built on Cecil’s family house “a distinguished virgin, born from a noble roman lineage”, suffering her torment around 22 AD.
Santa Cecilia - Stefano Maderno
The Golden Legend claims Pope Urbanus I, having converted her husband, Valeriano, witness of her martyrdom, “undertook Cecilia’s body admist bishops’ and hallowed her house turning it to a church, as by her request”
The Titulus Caeciliae is indeed already witnessed from V century. At the beginning of IX century Pope Pasqualis I, great relics’ recoverer and churches builder (Santa Maria in Domnica, Santa Prassede), had a Vision of Cecilia in dream, revealing her burial, He requested to build the basilica on the previous one and transferred her body.
In 1599 during the renovation works by cardinal Paolo Emilio Sfondrati, the marble tomb was opened and inside of the coffin, they found the body almost intact with white clothes and the signs of the wounds on the neck.
The event was considered so miraculous that the pope went to note it personally.
He commissioned the sculptor Stefano Maderno playback of the figure as it had been found. The exceptional work in marble which bears witness to the event is currently on display under the main altar
Appian Way: A timeless walk, far from the crowded centre.
Appian Way is an ancient route and the most important built by Romans. That’s why it has been named “ Regina Viarum” (Queen of Roads). It was considered Rome’s gateway to the East and it connected Roma with Capua (near Naples)...
It’s one of my favorite places since I moved to Rome, ten years ago.
Sometimes, when I need a break from the chaotic life of the city, I go there.
Appian Way is an ancient route and the most important built by Romans. That’s why it has been named “ Regina Viarum” (Queen of Roads). It was considered Rome’s gateway to the East and it connected Roma with Capua (near Naples).
The Appian Way is so rich of history. As you stroll or bike along the road, you'll see tombs of ancient families. One of the best preserved is the Tomb of Cecilia Metella, built for the daughter-in-law of a rich man.
Is also possible to go on an underground tour into the two major Christian catacombs, to see the niches where early Christians were buried. The Catacombs of San Sebastiano also has a historic fourth-century basilica with holy relics, while the larger Catacombs of San Callisto was the burial site for several early popes.
Ready for a travel that will take you back in time 2,000 years?
Useful information
Getting here from the center of Rome is easy; you can catch the bus 118 from Piazza Venezia. The best would be to come on a Sunday or holiday, when the whole park is closed to car traffic, and it becomes an endless pedestrian road.
A good starting point could be the info point in via Appia Antica 58/60,opened every day, where is possible to rent bikes. You can also enjoy a meal at the nearby cafè.
In addiction to the entry ticket, every sunday morning, Coopculture makes available to visitors a free guided tour to Villa dei Quintili and Cecilia Metella tomb.
To get info, visit www.viaappiaantica.com or buy tickets on www.coopculture.it .
Author: our receptionist Cecilia
A Bernini's masterpiece just around the corner
The Church of San Francesco a Ripa, just beside the Hotel San Francesco, contains one of the most beautiful sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Ecstasy of Blessed Ludovica Albertoni - 1674...
Ecstasy of Blessed Ludovica Albertoni - Gian Lorenzo Bernini 1674
The Ecstacy of Beata Ludovica Albertoni
The Church of San Francesco a Ripa, just beside the Hotel San Francesco, contains one of the most beautiful sculpture of Gian Lorenzo Bernini: The Ecstasy of Blessed Ludovica Albertoni - 1674
The entrance is free, as for all churches of Rome, and the statue is located in the last chapel of the left side, The Altieri Chapel.
Blessed Ludovica Albertoni was a noblewoman who dedicated her life assisting poor of Trastevere after the died of her husband.
How to reach it from the hotel
Once out of the hotel walk right until the square and you will find the church on the right side