Among the noble palaces that surround Piazza Vittorio and its surroundings there was Villa Palambara originally of the Sforza family. When the Marquis Palombara came into possession of it, he gave it its name. Naturally the villa was surrounded by a splendid garden and in the photo we see its entrance door. The curiosity linked to this only surviving part of the villa is the engraving of numerous symbols on the pediment, the jambs, the threshold, the architrave and the step. Legend has it that one day the marquis received a visit from a mysterious character who, in exchange for a modest loan and a suitable environment, promised him the formula for the philosopher’s stone. After various searches this man as he had arrived, disappeared leaving behind some gold and the secret formula. After many unsuccessful attempts, the nobleman decided to engrave the formula on the door in the hope that some passerby could decipher its meaning. The statues on either side of the door come from the excavations of the Quirinal hill where in ancient times there was a temple dedicated to the two Egyptian divinities Isis and Serapis.
- Year: 1949
- Photographer: Herbert List
- Location: Vittorio Emanuele II square
- Source: Internet
Use the central handle to move the curtain and see the two superimposed images. If it should not be totally visible, it is possible to put it in full screen with the button at the top right of the image.
Simply Piazza Vittorio, as it is known by the Romans, especially when referring to the famous market which for many years was on the sidewalk surrounding the square; it was also reached by the housewives of the most distant neighborhoods, so much was it renowned and famous for the quality/price ratio of its products. Now the "New Esquiline Market", this is its current name, is located between the square and the Lazio station, inside two former barracks in a condominium with the Faculty of Languages of the Sapienza University. It is now a multi-ethnic market, both for goods and for visits. The magical door is a place in Rome that is as central as it is little known by the Romans, I dare say that it is easier to find it by asking a Chinese for information than a Roman.
Il vecchio mercato doveva essere davvero bello! Quello attuale non mi piace, come non mi piace la zona e la gente che la frequenta. Mi dà l'idea di un quartiere allo sbando....
Pensa che io, da non romano, la magic door è tra le prime cose che ho visitato ;)
Let's see if I can show you a place you don't know, the Arco degli Acetari, a tiny square located in Via del Pellegrino between Piazza Della Cancelleria and Piazza Farnese. I photographed it twenty years ago, I took a pictorial photo of it in the "Effetto Roma" series, I haven't been there for a long time, but I think it still arouses the charm of a corner where it seems that time has stopped, a stone's throw from a substantially more modern Rome.
I know Roberto, I was there a few months ago and also last week. It's a timeless, beautiful place. Speaking of timeless places, the other day I also discovered Piazza Margana, near Piazza Venezia. :)
Even there there is a part of Rome that is a bit hidden and little frequented but is worth seeing, considering that it is just a few steps away from the pine cone fountain, where you superimposed the American soldier quenching his thirst. Walking towards the Ghetto and passing through via Sant'Angelo in Pescheria one arrives at the Portico D'ottavia, corners portrayed in various watercolors by Ettore Roesler Franz.