Off the
beaten tourist trail in Rome, Italy in photos
So, you have seen the Colosseum,
Roman Forum and the Pantheon. You have even visited all the museums in
Vatican City, the Trevi Fountain and more. What else does Rome have to
offer its visitors? It turns out there’s quite a lot! Let’s venture into
a couple of the lesser-known, not-so-touristy attractions of Rome that
you may have overlooked along the way.
1. Galleria Sciarra - Piazza
Santi Apostoli, Rome
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Photo: Galleria Sciarra
by Alejandro on Flickr
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Only steps away from the
popular Trevi Fountain and the Via del Corso is a real delight. A mostly
unknown courtyard takes viewers back to the Art Nouveau movement. Galleria
Sciarra is covered in beautiful, colourful frescoes and is a pleasure
to view. The courtyard was constructed between 1885 and 1888 for the Sciarra
family. These wealthy individuals meant it to be a shopping mall, which,
had it happened, would have been one of the most beautiful shopping malls
in the world.
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Photo: Galleria Sciarra
by Alejandro on Flickr
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Frescoes cover the entire,
four-storey walls with images of men and women, enclosed in curling and
elegant floral designs. While both sexes feature, Giuseppe Cellini, the
artist, wanted his work to celebrate women during their various phases
of life. Galleria Sciarra can be visited during office hours with entrances
on Piazza dell’Oratorio and Via Marco Minghetti.
2. Zuccari Palace - 34 Via Gregoriana,
Rome
While most buildings in Rome
offer up intricate and ornate appearances, close to the Spagna subway station
is a building with a very unusual facade. Next on our fascinating
tour of Rome is Zuccari Palace, otherwise known as “The Monster House.”
The reason for the nickname is easy to see, as each door and window on
the exterior of the building appears to be being swallowed by monsters
with huge, gaping mouths.
It was the famous Baroque
artist Federico Zuccari who built the palace as a studio for his family
in 1590. The architectural styling used by Zuccari had a mixed reception
at the time. However, following his death the ornate building changed hands
several times. In 1702, the Queen of Poland moved in and the house was
part of high society in Rome for many decades.
The building was later made
into an inn for foreign artists and the last owner was Henrietta Hertz,
who in 1900 left her art collection to the state, which allowed the creation
of Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History, which
now occupies the building.
Explore the other
side of Rome next time you are in town. There are plenty of other wonders
hidden around each corner, just waiting to be discovered!
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