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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

A NEW DIRECTION

The Reaction of the Church

The second half of the XVth century saw the efforts of the Popes to limit the impact of the Reformation. A council was held in Trent for 20 years to discuss all the controversial religious issues raised by the Reformation. This led to a clearer definition of the role of the church and also of the relationship between faith and art. The Italian art of this period is called Mannerism (from Italian maniera manner): mannerist artists saw in Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo the models to follow.
You can see a selection of plates by Giuseppe Vasi showing the main monuments built in Rome during this period.

Paulus IV - the hatred Pope (Giovanni Pietro Carafa 1555 - 1559)

Fonte Marcella in Assisi

As many other popes he entrusted the administration of political and economical matters with his relatives. In particular his nephew Cardinal Carlo Carafa took initiatives which in 1556 led to the so called Guerra di Campagna between the Papal State and the Emperor Philip II. The fight took place near Paliano in the part of Latium called Campagna di Roma and the papal tropus were routed. Also the fortress of Ostia was occupied by the Spanish troops and Rome risked a new sack. Only in 1559 Pope Paulus IV realized the wrongdoings of his nephew: too late to regain the support of the Romans who at his death destroyed his statues and his coats of arms. However far from Rome, in Assisi, beautiful Fonte Marcella retains a peaceful memory of him.

Pius IV- the Pope who was really "pius" (Giovanni Angelo Medici 1559 - 1565)

Porta del Popolo

This splendid coat of arms is on the external part of Porta del Popolo (map2-7/E1). This is where pilgrims coming from the North entered Rome. Pope Pius IV also charged Michelangelo to build what is now known as Porta Pia. You can see his coat of arms among and the plate of it by Filippo Juvarra.
While not being a member of the Medici family he was allowed by Cosimo de' Medici to use his family coat of arms: Pius IV usually added to his name the adjective "Mediolanensis" = of Milan to specify he was not a Medici of Florence. He strengthened the walls around the Vatican and in the gardens he built a summer residence with splendid mosaics. From them I elaborated the line you see at the bottom of this page. In Piazza S. Eustachio you can see an elegant coat of arms of Pius IV painted on the walls of a small palace. His coat of arms (see background of this page) on the statue of Neptune by Giambologna (Jean de Boulogne) in Bologna was spared by the French Revolution effects in northern Italy. He held the third and final session of the Council of Trento (this session is painted in S. Maria in Trastevere).

Pius V - the Saint (Antonio Ghislieri 1566 - 1572)

The ceiling in St. John in Lateran

The ceiling of St John Lateran (map4-40/H6) was completed by Filippo Boulanger and Daniele da Volterra during the papacy of Pius V and they honored the pope by designing a very fine coat of arms. Pope Pius V was declared saint in 1712. His name is strictly associated with the 1571 battle of Lepanto, where a Christian fleet defeated the Ottoman one. He rebuilt Palazzo della Santa Inquisizione, which had been set on fire by the Romans at the death of Paulus IV. He opened new streets near Arco dei Pantani.
You can see another coat of arms of this pope in

Gregorius XIII - the Pope who reformed the Calendar (Ugo Boncompagni 1572 - 1585)

The tomb in St. Peter

Statues of animals are everywhere in Rome. The heraldic dragon of Pope Gregorius XIII is among the most frequent ones. Here it protects his master in the tomb in St Peter's (map1-1/B2). The tomb by Camillo Rusconi was erected in 1723. A less lucky dragon is still watching over Ponte Rotto, the fine bridge built by this pope (the bridge collapsed during the flood of 1598). Gregorius XIII devoted a lot of energy to provide the Church with adequate cultural resources; to this purpose he moved in a new, larger building Collegio Romano and enlarged Collegio Greco and its church devoted to S. Attanasio. To ensure appropriate storage of commodities for the growing population of Rome, he turned Diocleziano's Baths into granaries. He promoted a review of the Julian calendar to better reflect the astronomical year: that's way the current calendar is called after him. To readjust the calendar the day after October 4, 1582 was October 15, 1582 and to prevent future disalignments it was decided to eliminate three leap years every four centuries. For a more extensive research on Gregorius XIII see

Sixtus V - the Pope who surprised everybody (Felice Peretti 1585 - 1590)

The fountain of Acqua Felice

Chosen because thought to be very ill, Pope Sixtus V revealed a strong will to live and mark his passage on earth. Many streets were designed by him and his coat of arms is very common. Although of humble origins he had a very rich coat of arms with three mountains and a stars and a lion holding some pears (pear = pera = Peretti). In the great fountain of the Acqua Felice (map2-10/G1) one can see the lion holding the pears.
For a more extensive research on Sixtus V see
See the plate by Filippo Juvarra.


Urbanus VII (Giovan Battista Castagna 1590) click here to see his coat of arms in S. Maria sopra Minerva.

Gregorius XIV (Niccolò Sfondrati 1590 - 1591) click here to see his coat of arms in Rocca di Spoleto.

Innocentius IX (Giovan Antonio Facchinetti 1592) click here to see his family's coat of arms in Palazzo Comunale di Spoleto.

Clemens VIII - the Pilgrim Pope (Ippolito Aldobrandini 1592 - 1605)

Three coats of arms

Pope Clemens VIII visited as a common pilgrim the "Seven Churches" up to 15 times a year. But he was not only a very pious man, he was also very conscious of his role and left many signs of his papacy. Because his symbols were very decorative you can find them in many objects like this globe in his own Villa Aldobrandini in Rome(map2-38/F4), the façade of the Capitol Palace (map2-25/E4) and a small pier in St Peter's square (map1-2/B2).

For a more extensive research on Clemens VIII see

Leo XI (Alessandro d'Ottaviano de' Medici 1605) click here to see his coat of arms in S. Maria in Trastevere.


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