Quirinal Hill, Rome

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While reading the history of this palace on the site of the “Presidenza Republica” (in Italian) one realizes the high complexity as well of the history as the architectural evolution of the Palazzo Quirinale.

Since the 16th c. the most famous architects have worked on this construction since Martino Longhi the Elder under Pope Gregory XIII till Ferdinando Fuga under Clement XII.
This palace has been a permanent building site!

The inhabitants were also most varied. The Pope Gregory XIII started by making of the place a summer residence in the form of a villa with gardens. Sixth V transformed the villa into a small palace. His successors such as Paul V increased the palace and gardens. Works continued during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The nice story stopped when in 1809 the troops of Napoleon invaded Rome. They broke down the doors with axes and took along in captivity to France at Fontainebleau the Pope Pie VII who had taken refuge within the palace.
In 1814 the Pope returned to Rome and the Quirinal remained papal possession until 1870 when what remained of the Papal States was overthrown.

In 1871 Rome became capital of the new Kingdom of Italy. The antique papal palace was then transformed into a royal palace. In reality some monarchs like King Victor Emmanuel III (reign 1900-1946 and last Italian King) lived in a private residence elsewhere. During the Kingdom certain rooms were restructured and the decoration was modified as well as the furniture.
Presently most furniture and decoration dates from that period. The monarchy was abolished in 1946 and the Quirinal Palace became the official residence and workplace for the Presidents of the Italian Republic.

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The monument decorating this piazza seems to be characterized by its wandering character.
That does not have anything extraordinary for horses as those Dioscuri but is rather unusual for an obelisk and a fountain. All the elements of this Fountain of Dioscures knew a rather animated history.

Let us start with the pink granite obelisk which had been imported from Egypt at the end of the 1st c. A.D. with its twin, currently set up in Piazza dell' Esquilino, to decorate Rome. During the centuries the two obelisks disappeared in the ground to be found at excavations near the mausoleum of August. The obelisk of the Quirinal was found in three pieces in 1781 and the pope Pie VI decided to erect it between the Dioscures statues. This obelisk 14,64 m high shows no inscriptions. It is a question if it is a copy made in Rome.
Prior to the obelisk there were the Dioscures Castor and Pollux. These 5 m high statues are copies of Greek originals of 5th c. B.C. They first decorated the entry of the terms of Constantine located on the Quirinal hill. Then they were in Palazzo Rospigliosi built on the site of the terms. Pope Sixtus V had them restored and placed on the Quirinal piazza in 1588 but oriented towards the Palazzo della Consulta. At this time the name “Monte Cavallo" (horse's hill) was given to the place. The same pope added an octagonal basin with another fountain on pedestal in the centre in front of the statues.
In 1786 the pope Pie VI had the Dioscures moved to intercalate the obelisk.
In 1818 the pope Pie VII replaced the fountain by a massive basin taken on Campo Vaccino (the Forum) where it was used as feeding trough for the cattle. The preceding octagonal basin disappeared without leaving traces.

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The "Corazzieri" or "Cuirassiers" regiment is presently part of the Carabinieri. Their story as guards of princes or kings in Italy goes back as far as the 15 th. c.
They are elite Carabinieri with a minimum height of 190 cm, with great physical fitness and experienced in a number of military specialities. Due to that minimum height many are originally from North Italy.
Presently there are 297 Corazzieri of which 50 on horses for the service at the Quirinal.
When I was in Rome I read that the number of Corazzieri would be reduced by 30 to save money on the presidential budget!
They have different uniforms: "grand gala" with breast plate, "meza gala", "grande uniforme" (winter and summer), all of them with the cuirassiers' helmet, and the usual uniform "da campo".

At the entrance of the Quirinal Palace are also sentries on duty. These are ordinary soldiers.

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The church of San Silvestro al Quirinale (St. Sylvester on Quirinal Hill, in English) dates from the 10th century. It was rebuilt in 1524-1584, when it was taken over by the Theatine Order. In 1801, San Silvestro was granted to the Lazarists, having been abandoned by the Theatines some years before. When the street was widened in 1877, the 16th century façade was replaced by Andrea Busiri Vici.

The Renaissance interior has got a single nave and it is covered with paintings. There you can see some of the masterpieces: in the ceiling there is a fresco by Giovanni and Cherubino Alberti (late 16th century) . On the counterfacade of the entrance you can see the funeral monument of Cardinal Federico Cornaro attributed to Giacomo della Porta. In the chapels there are works of Polidoro da Caravaggio, Cavaliere d'Arpino, Raffaellino da Reggio and Domenichino (in the Chapel of the Assumption).

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The Palazzo della Consulta is located on the east side of the Quirinal Square.
The palace was designe by Ferdinando Fuga among 1732 and 1735. It initially housed the papal tribunal termed the Consulta and the secretariat of the Brevi as well as two corps of papal guards.
The piano nobile in the facade has got windows with low arched heads sed in fielded panels. The gateway has got two wonderful scultures showing the Justice and the Religion made in 1739. The roof-line of the facade is topped by a large coat of arms of the Corsini pope. Among 1920 and 1955 it was the houses of the Ministry of the colony of the Italian Africa. Since 1955 it is the houses the Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic.

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The Palazzo del Quirinale (Quirinal Palace, in English) is the current official residence of the President of the Italian Republic.
The palace was built by Pope Gregory XIII as a papal summer residence on a project by Martino Longhi il Vecchio and finished by Ottaviano Mascherino in 1585. It served as a papal residence until 1870. In 1871, when Rome became the capital of the Kigdom of Italy, the palace became the Royal residence of the Kings of Italy. Since 1947 it is the official residence and workplace for the Presidents of the Italian Republic.

The façade was designed by Domenico Fontana in a late Reinassance style in 1589. The fantastic gateway was design by Maderno in 1615 and the two columns shown St.Peter and St.Paul. Above it there is the blessing loggia made on a project off Bernini in 1638

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The Fontana di Monte Cavallo is the heart of the Quirinal Hill. It shown two big statues of Castor and Pollux (known collectively in Greek as the Dioskouroi or Dioscuri). They are Roman copies from the Greek art and they were discovered in the Constantine Bath. In the middle of the two Dioscuri you can see the obelisc discovered in the Augustus' Mausoleum and erected in this square by Giovanni Antinori in 1786. In 1818 the pope Pius VII commissioned the work to create a new fountain (the one you can still seen nowdays) to Raffaele Stern.

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Built in the 17th century as pope Urban VII's family residence (the Barberini family), this grand palace now houses la Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica (part of Galleria Borghese collection). Architects Maderno, Bernini and Barromini all worked on the construction of the sumptuous palace with incredible ceiling frescoes. The museum contains an impressive collection of mostly Renaissance-period paintings, including works from El Greco and Caravaggio. Though there is a €5 admission charge (Apr 09) for the museum, the Palazzo's gardens are open to the public for free. The back terraced garden is very peaceful and contains some beautiful sculptures.