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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.

Windows of Italy Exhibition Windows of Italy

(what follows is a personal choice of windows seen in my wanderings)

There were no windows in the old times! Roman buildings received light from the inner courtyard. We start to see them in the Middle Ages like this one in Ascoli.

Window in Ascoli Piceno

Umbria hosts some of the most fascinating medieval towns (and windows). Here below on the left Gubbio, on the right Narni.

Window in GubbioWindow in Narni

Renaissance architects introduced classical elements in the design of windows. Within the Papal States for more than two hundred years the Dukes of Montefeltro had an autonomous government over Urbino and the surrounding areas. For their Palaces in Urbino (left) and Gubbio (right) Luciano Laurana designed these windows.

Luciano Laurana's window in Urbino

Another kind of Renaissance window is called Guelph cross window and it is the distinctive mark of Palazzo Venezia in Rome. The example below is in Tivoli.

Guelph cross window in Tivoli

The house of Lorenzo Manilio near the entrance to the Ghetto of Rome, an early Renaissance building, shows the love of the owners for Ancient Rome in the script "HAVE ROMA" above a very typical Italian window.

The window Have Roma of Palazzo Costaguti

Late Renaissance and Baroque windows have a more complex structure and decoration. In Via Giulia the Farnese built for one of their many houses this wonderful balcony decorated with their coat of arms.

The Farnese window in Via Giulia

Francesco Borromini at the very early stage of his career designed for Pope Urban VIII's family palace this innovative window.

The window of Francesco Borromini in Palazzo Barberini

Later on Borromini built for Pope Innocent X in Piazza Navona his family palace with this large window with the symbols of the family (you can see it both in the old and new colours of Rome).

The window of Francesco Borromini in Piazza Navona

A very extravagant window you can see in Rome is in Via Gregoriana (Palazzo Zuccari) where monsters encircle the windows and the main door. In Florence the late Renaissance window of Palazzo Nonfinito by Bernardo Buontalenti hides a bat.

The window in Via GregorianaThe window in Palazzo Non finito in Florence
The window in Palazzo Non finito in Florence - detail

The main square of Montepulciano in Tuscany has a Renaissance palace of the family Del Monte (Pope Julius III). In the XVIIth century a second floor with Baroque windows was added to the palace.
Window of Palazzo Del Monte in Montepulciano

A Baroque building in the middle of imperial Rome (along the Circo Massimo, south of the Palatino) shows these peculiar windows.

Window in Via de' Cerchi

Sometimes a window remains in our memory because of special circumstances. When I visited Zagarolo (in the 1990s), the run down family palace of Pope Clement IX (Palazzo Rospigliosi) was hosting a temporary modern art exhibition.

Window of Palazzo Rospigliosi in Zagarolo

Also unpretentious windows have some magic: Priverno a medieval town at the southern border of the Papal State offers this nice window.

Window in PrivernoWindow in Tivoli

and a few flowers add to the grace of this window in Tivoli.

Wandering about in Trastevere this cosy window, caught my eye. The curtains show the rampant goat of the Altemps family, who had their Chapel in nearby Santa Maria in Trastevere.

The green window in Trastevere



SEE THESE OTHER EXHIBITIONS (for a full list click here)