Piazza Farnese - Piazzas of Italy by Ultimate Italy

Piazza Farnese

This is an elegant square of immense proportions and welcomes the visitor with its grandeur. It has two beautiful fountains and the majesty of the Farnese Palace.

In 1626 G. Rainaldi constructed the fountains as per the wish of cardinal Farnese. These 17th century marble fountains were made from Egyptian granite taken from the Baths of Caracalla. Initially one of the basins was sent to the Piazza del Duca, which is the modern day Piazza Farnese on the orders of Pope Paul Farnese III. During that period there was insufficient water to supply the fountain and it stayed an ornamental showpiece for many years. When the Aqua Vergine’s water flow increased cardinal Farnese asked for and obtained from Pope Gregory XIII the other basin, which was located in Piazza Venezia.

Thus the twin fountains with their large granite basins adorned the center of Piazza Farnese. They are decorated with lilies. The flower de Lys is the emblem of both the aristocratic Roman Farnese family and the French royal family.

The Palazzo Farnese dominates Piazza Farnese with its sheer size and beauty. Many people consider this the ultimate renaissance palace, as it is big, beautiful and full of art.

In 1514 Alexander Farnese who was then a cardinal ordered Antonio de Sangallo a young and talented architect to build the Farnese Palace. In 1524 he became Pope Paul III and enlarged the palace. He got the famous renaissance sculptor and painter Michelangelo to design and implement these additions.

Michelangelo now became the key architect of the Farnese Palace. He was responsible for building the overhanging Florentine roof and the wide cornice below it. He directed this gigantic project for two decades. He created the top floor with taller looking windows and ceilings higher that his predecessor Sangallo had used in the lower two floors. Thus the inventor of Mannerism inverted the usual ratio, where upper floors are given less importance than lower floors, to relieve monotony and add some tension to the building. He broke the classical rules of architecture like Raphael did and created a masterpiece of a palace in the process.

In 1564 Michelangelo died and Giacomo della Porta added the rear facade over the garden and the view of St. Peter’s.

There is a monumental inner courtyard. The state dining room has frescoes by Annabel Carraci. Unfortunately you cannot see the beautiful inner areas of the Farnese Palace as it is the working and living space of the French ambassador and its embassy and is leased to them from the 1630’s till 2035.

On the northern side of the Piazza Farnese is the Palazzo Pichini. It is also known as Palazzo Roccagiovine. In 1705 Alexander Specchi redesigned it. The faced has recently been repainted but some more work is required to maintain its beautiful interiors.

A visit to Piazza Farnese is on the agenda of most tourists to Rome. However if you can obtain an invitation from the French ambassador or embassy to visit the inner rooms of the palace it would indeed be a more interesting and fulfilling visit.