On the very spot where three of Rome's central districts meet (namely Campo Marzio, Ponte and Sant'Eustachio), a charming corner forms a Y-junction between via dei Portoghesi [1] and via dei Pianellari [2]; the latter branches off on the left. In Nolli's map (1748), coloured for the purpose, the yellow circle shows the street as it was by the time Roesler Franz painted it: the corner on the left, in maroon, is the featured view. Here stands the doorway of a 16th century house [3], Palazzo Scapucci, topped by an older tower [4] that dates back to the early 1200s, and bears the name of the Frangipane, an important roman family who became particularly powerful over the 11th-13th centuries, and owned several palaces, towers and lands, both inside the city and in the surroundings.

The painting shows how the first part of via dei Portoghesi used to be slightly larger than its present size, almost forming a small square, overlooked by the tower. The façade of St.Anthony [5], the church of Rome's Portuguese community, could be seen on the right side (i.e. the one marked in blue in the map, belonging to Campo Marzio district).

The painting shows how the first part of via dei Portoghesi used to be slightly larger than its present size, almost forming a small square, overlooked by the tower. The façade of St.Anthony [5], the church of Rome's Portuguese community, could be seen on the right side (i.e. the one marked in blue in the map, belonging to Campo Marzio district). Within a few years after the painting was finished, by the turn of the 20th century, alterations were carried out on both sides of the street; as a consequence, via dei Portoghesi grew narrower, the tower was partly covered, and so was the church, still standing there, yet no longer visible from the spot where Roesler Franz painted his view.

The Frangipane tower featured in this view - there is another smaller Frangipane Tower at one end of the Circus Maximus - is also known in Rome as "the monkey tower" after a story, once rather popular, which may contain some elements of truth.

A long time ago, somebody who lived nearby kept a monkey as a pet. One day the animal entered the house through a window, 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 would have been scared, and may have harmed the child.

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.