Ettore Roesler Franz and Bygone Rome

	~ there once was in Rome... ~ Ettore Roesler Franz and Bygone Rome - 6 - Frangipane Tower

On the very spot where three of Rome's central districts meet (namely Campo Marzio, Ponte and Sant'Eustachio), by a charming corner, via dei Portoghesi [1] forms a Y-junction with via dei Pianellari [2]; the latter is the street that in the painting runs towards the left. In the detail from Nolli's map (1748, right), the districts are highlighted in different colours, and the red circle indicates the relevant spot. On the fork stands the doorway of Palazzo Scapucci [3], an early 16th century house, overlooked by a much older tower [4] that dates back to the late 11th century. The tower bears the name of the Frangipane, an important Roman family who was particularly powerful over the 11th-13th centuries, and owned several fortified palaces and lands, both inside the city and in the surroundings. When by the end of the 1600s the Scapucci family had their house enlarged, also the tower was included in their property.	key to districts: █ Campo Marzio █ Ponte █ Sant'Eustachio

On the very spot where three of Rome's central districts meet (namely Campo Marzio, Ponte and Sant'Eustachio), by a charming corner, via dei Portoghesi [1] forms a Y-junction with via dei Pianellari [2]; the latter is the street that in the painting runs towards the left. In the detail from Nolli's map (1748, right), the districts are highlighted in different colours, and the red circle indicates the relevant spot. On the fork stands the doorway of Palazzo Scapucci [3], an early 16th century house, overlooked by a much older tower [4] that dates back to the late 11th century. The tower bears the name of the Frangipane, an important Roman family who was particularly powerful over the 11th-13th centuries, and owned several fortified palaces and lands, both inside the city and in the surroundings. When by the end of the 1600s the Scapucci family had their house enlarged, also the tower was included in their property.

key to districts: █ Campo Marzio █ Ponte █ Sant'Eustachio

	The comparison between the painting and the photograph reveals how Roesler Franz slightly altered the view of the place for artistic purposes, making the street appear somewhat wider than its real size. The building on the left side of via dei Portoghesi [5], which belongs to Sant'Eustachio district (green), in the painting was slightly shifted from its actual position, in order to allow a full view of the tower. It is the back of the convent of the nearby St.Augustine's church, which in the early 1600s was turned into a library (Biblioteca Angelica); it was then altered into its present shape by Luigi Vanvitelli, around 1750. It is also the seat of the State Legal Advisory Service.

The comparison between the painting and the photograph reveals how Roesler Franz slightly altered the view of the place for artistic purposes, making the street appear somewhat wider than its real size.

The building on the left side of via dei Portoghesi [5], which belongs to Sant'Eustachio district (green), in the painting was slightly shifted from its actual position, in order to allow a full view of the tower. It is the back of the convent of the nearby St.Augustine's church, which in the early 1600s was turned into a library (Biblioteca Angelica); it was then altered into its present shape by Luigi Vanvitelli, around 1750. It is also the seat of the State Legal Advisory Service.

	← the angel of St.Anthony of the Portoguese On the opposite side of the street, in Campo Marzio district (purple), stands the church of St.Anthony of the Portuguese [6]. In the paintin its façade is partly seen, with an angel playing a trumpet in its upper part; in the photograph, though, the church is completely hidden by the building on the far right. More details about the history of St.Anthony's, which belongs to the Portuguese community in Rome, can be found in Curious and Unusual. Palazzo Scapucci →

← Frangipane Tower, also known as the Monkey Tower

Frangipane Tower featured in this view (not to be confused with another smaller Frangipane Tower, at one end of the Circus Maximus) is also commonly known as 'the tower of the monkey' after an old story, which may even contain some elements of truth.

A long time ago, somebody who lived near the tower kept a monkey as a pet. One day the animal sneaked through the window of a nearby house, picked up the owner's newborn child, and climbed to the top of the tower carrying the baby with her. Nobody dared to climb up there, fearing that the monkey may get scared, and therefore harm the child, or drop him.

an ape holding a baby,
from a 14th century book
(British Library, Stowe MS 17, fol. 189 v.)

an ape holding a baby,
early 14th century
(British Library,
Stowe MS 17, fol. 189 v.)

But the monkey's owner called the animal from the street, and she came down, once again taking the baby with her.

The child's parents, relieved from the shocking experience, had a small shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary built on the tower's rooftop [6], clearly visible from below. So the building is also popularly referred to as the Monkey Tower. This story is also mentioned in Nathaniel Hawthorne's romance The Marble Faun (1860). the shrine at the top of Frangipane Tower →