28. PALAZZO VENEZIA, PORTAL
Chauffourier, Gustavio Eugenio, print

The sun-drenched portal of the Palazzo Venezia and the cobbled pavement are depicted in this image. The photographer has exposed for the void of the open doorway with its doorbell silhouetted against the darkness, which beckons us to approach and pull the bell. With this effect, the photograph serves more as a line drawing of the doorjamb and becomes a surrealistic object, one that contrasts stark light with darkness. Just registering in the negative is the projection of the window above the door on the interior wall, formulating its own camera obscura.

29. S. MARIA SOPRA MINERVA, PORTAL
Chauffourier, Gustavio Eugenio, print

30. THE TEMPLE OF THE DIVINE ROMULUS, PORTAL
Chauffourier, Gustavio Eugenio, print

The photographer presents the steps and portal of the Temple of the Divine Romulus in the Roman Forum in this intriguing view. During the Middle Ages, this early 4th century A.D. structure was used as a vestibule for the church of SS. Cosma e Damiano, and in 1632 Pope Urban VIII made adjustments to accommodate the change in ground level and removed the original bronze doors. These were replaced in 1872, when most of the 17th-century additions were stripped away. The half-open door, the short flight of stairs and the truncated column all indicate that the photographer was intending to create much more here than a document of this portal’s door frame of re-cycled ancient cornices. Adding to the effect is the barely visible interior door with its raised bronze panels.

31. THE CLIVUS SCIAURI
de Bonis, A(driano)

Here, the viewer experiences a stroll up the walled street known as the Clivus Sciauri, on the Caelian Hill. The strong shadow from the wall on the right bisects the roadway of patterned, almost glowing cobbles. The street, defined by garden walls on the right and the flank of SS. Giovanni e Paolo on the left, is spanned by seven arches buttressing the massive substructures of the church. The arcaded apse of SS. Giovanni e Paolo anchors the left side of the composition.

32. THE VICOLO STERRATO
de Bonis, A(driano)

The Vicolo Sterrato, or Vicolo di S. Nicola da Tolentino,maintained the appearance of a country lane until late in the 19th century. It was a frequent subject for artists, such as Corot, who drew it in 1827. The street was situated behind the gardens of the Palazzo Barberini, features of which are visible over the high wall on the right. In the distance the bell tower of the church of S. Caio may be seen. The pine was removed in 1872 and the church was demolished in 1880 to make way for the Ministry of War, destroying one of Rome’s most picturesque corners.

Exposed for the silhouette of the umbrella pine and seated statue in the garden of the Palazzo Barbarini behind the wall on the right, the photograph carefully includes the dirt roadway and the cart-wheel grooves, which instill the feeling of movement and activity to this otherwise motionless scene. To achieve this effect the photographer must have placed the camera very low and tipped it back.

33. THE VIA DI PORTA PINCIANA
de Bonis, A(driano)

With the sun above and in front of him, de Bonis has photographed the steep lane leading up from the Strada Felice/Via Sistina to the Porta Pinciana, corresponding today to stretches of the Via Francesco Crispi and the Via di Porta Pinciana. The point of view, anchored by the projecting balcony directly opposite the entrance to the Villa Malta, was much admired by artists. This lane is a continuation of the Via Capo le Case, the street “where the houses end,” which remained undeveloped until the l880s. In the distance the altana of the Quirinal Palace projects into the skyline.

34. THE PORTO DI RIPETTA, VIEWED FROM DOWNSTREAM
Simelli, Carlo Baldessare

The northern river port of Rome, the Porto di Ripetta, was situated near the Mausoleum of Augustus until its destruction to make way for the Tiber embankments in 1889–90. In this photograph, the view is from downstream, just above the Ponte Sant’Angelo, looking north. As part of Pope Clement XI’s efforts to strengthen the economy of the Papal States, the muddy banks of the Tiber were replaced by a magnificent double flight of curving stairs designed by Alessandro Specchi in 1707. Specchi scenographically composed the stairs, centering them on the pre-existing facade of S. Girolamo degli Schiavoni. The influence of Specchi’s design is evident in the Spanish Steps. Silhouetted against the sky are the domes of San Rocco and San Carlo al Corso, as well as the twin towers of the Villa Medici; the west bank of the river shows the pastoral condition of the prati di castello before this zone was developed into the modern quarter of Prati. In this image the slowly streaming water of the Tiber leaves a glassy appearance. The shadows thrown on the river by buildings rooted in the Tiber embankment and the reflections of the trees on the river’s edge add to the appeal of the photograph.

35. THE PORTO DI RIPETTA
Chauffourier, Gustavio Eugenio, print of an earlier Simelli negative  

36. THE PORTO DI RIPETTA
Chauffourier, Gustavio Eugenio, print

This view of the Porto di Ripetta was taken looking up the curving stairs past the central convex terrace wall to a row of three palace facades defining the far side of the Via della Ripetta. The central one of these is the Ripetta wing of the Palazzo Borghese, built between 1612 and 1614 following the designs of Flaminio Ponzio, which still stands. In the 1670s, Carlo Rainaldi inserted an enfilade of rooms in this wing that framed a view of the Tiber. This was achieved by extending the vista across the Via del Arancio and making an oblique cut through the adjacent palace that otherwise would have blocked the view. That palace was demolished as part of the clearing of the zone in the 1930s, but is visible here to the left of the Borghese Palace wing. The spectacular view was further enriched by a fountain suspended in the opening. This feature can also be seen in this photograph, which provides a precious record of a lost jewel of Roman Baroque urbanism.