After Park of the monsters of Bomarzo, it really seems to have seen everything that is bizarre in the capital. The grotesque and mysterious atmosphere that characterizes this place, however, is not the only one that colors the tumultuous city of Roma. In the center between via Sistina and via Gregoriana, stands a building that resembles a nightmare with open eyes. Looking at its wacky windows and creepy front door is expected to ignite its eyes and its jaws to come to life! But… what lies behind the appearance of Zuccari Palace? Let's find out together!
Palazzo Zuccari and its history
The proponent of this architectural magnificence was Federico Zuccari. This artist, who had also worked in Florence, decided to create a building in which he would live, which would reflect all his creativity and his special talent. In 1590 he bought the land near the Trinità dei Monti, on the remains of the ancient gardens of Lucullus (famous for its wealth). At that point, all that was needed was to give life to one of the most peculiar artists' houses in Italy. From the beginning, Zuccari almost went bankrupt to complete his work, almost as if some dark forces had to decree its completion. On his death, he left the house to the artists of the San Luca academy, even if in fact the house fell into the hands of Marc'Antonio Toscanella. Later Girolamo Rainaldi enlarged the complex, giving it the appearance that was maintained until 1904, before it was completely restored.
The Zuccari family repurchased the palace from the Toscanella family, and it remained a patrimony of the Zuccari until the lawyer Federico Zuccari, the last descendant of the dynasty, decided to sell it to Henriette Hertz. The woman later donated it to the German government, constituting the Hertziana Library, specializing in art history.
Architecture
Of course, what you immediately notice when you admire this particular structure are the decorations. The frames of the external doors and windows have the appearance of monstrous open mouths, which clearly recall the Bomarzo Garden and the imaginative artistic style of the XNUMXth century Mannerist architecture. The three masks on via Gregoriana attract the gaze of visitors and non-visitors, fascinating and intriguing with their majesty. Earlier, Zuccari had used a similar form for an illustration representing the gate of Dante's hell. Clearly, for the artist this was an obvious message, and his main intention was to amaze and frighten anyone who admired the Palazzo. Once inside, however, the atmosphere would have changed completely, because the paradisiacal view of the garden would have soothed the tachycardic hearts of tourists.
It was overflowing with roses, fountains and sculptures, which symbolized the social status of its creator. In stark contrast to the simplicity of the exterior, the interior is characterized by richness and glitz.
Palazzo Zuccari and D'Annunzio's Rome
The beauty and the sense of disquiet that this place arouses in the minds of those who come across it, could not leave indifferent a decadent esthete like Gabriele D'Annunzio. In his work, Il Piacere, D'Annunzio expresses all his keen interest in Palazzo Zuccari and its sublime charm: «On the Piazza Barberini, on the Piazza di Spagna a multitude of cars passed in race crossing; and from the two squares the confused and continuous roar, going up to the Trinità de 'Monti, to the via Sistina, reached the rooms of the Palazzo Zuccari, Annurcaattenuato. The rooms were gradually filling up with the perfume that the fresh flowers emanated from the vases. The thick and wide roses were immersed in certain crystal bowls that rose thinly from a kind of golden stem, spreading out in the guise of an adamantine lily, similar to those that arise behind the Virgin in the tondo by Sandro Botticelli at the Borghese gallery ".
Palazzo Zuccari embodies in its walls, in a certain sense, the metaphor of versatility of life. Art, a salvific muse, succeeds in its spectacularity in showing both the terrible aspect of mephitic appearances, and the sweet scent of luxuriant nature, captured in its virginal candor. A place that is not only to be observed, but in whose magic ... immerse yourself!
