RINASCITA OF VALMONTONE @ 13 Jul 2022

RINASCITA OF VALMONTONE

Valmontone, a town in Lazio 50 km from Rome, is best known nowadays for its nearby retail park and Rainbow MagicLand – a Disneyland-style entertainment fairground. A typical old-style medieval centre, it was badly bombed during the last war, losing many of its historic buildings and treasures. Hasty post-war building did the rest, converting much of the placid and picturesque old city into a typical conglomerate of modern, featureless streets and blocks of flats.

The only buildings of note that were spared were the princely 17th century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and the adjacent Collegiata of the Assumption, which crowned a hill on the highest part of the town. However, the palace, one of the residences of the powerful Pamphilj family, suffered another fate. It was occupied by families of townspeople who had lost their homes due to the bombardment and who remained there until they could be rehoused in the 1970s.

Since then and until last year, the Palace has been closed, except for a section occupied by local government offices. However, thanks to a generous grant from the Italian government through the Ministry of Culture, a restoration project is now well underway. For the first time the splendid series of 17th century frescoed rooms are now open to the public, as well as the museum section containing the mass of archaeological material recovered when the nearby railway line was being constructed.

The palace reception rooms were decorated by the best artists of the day in an allegorical sequence representing the Elements: the Room of Fire, the Room of Air, the Room of Water and the Room of Earth, all leading into the stunning Prince's Room, painted by French artist Gaspard Dughet, also known as Gaspard Poussin, after his brother-in-law, the celebrated baroque painter Nicolas Poussin.

Info: Tel. +39.06.959938231 www.comune.valmontone.rm.it

 

 

RINASCITA OF VALMONTONE

 

Valmontone, a town in Lazio 50 km from Rome, is best known nowadays for its nearby retail park and Rainbow MagicLand – a Disneyland-style entertainment fairground. A typical old-style medieval centre, it was badly bombed during the last war, losing many of its historic buildings and treasures. Hasty post-war building did the rest, converting much of the placid and picturesque old city into a typical conglomerate of modern, featureless streets and blocks of flats.

The only buildings of note that were spared were the princely 17th century Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and the adjacent Collegiata of the Assumption, which crowned a hill on the highest part of the town. However, the palace, one of the residences of the powerful Pamphilj family, suffered another fate. It was occupied by families of townspeople who had lost their homes due to the bombardment and who remained there until they could be rehoused in the 1970s.

Since then and until last year, the Palace has been closed, except for a section occupied by local government offices. However, thanks to a generous grant from the Italian government through the Ministry of Culture, a restoration project is now well underway. For the first time the splendid series of 17th century frescoed rooms are now open to the public, as well as the museum section containing the mass of archaeological material recovered when the nearby railway line was being constructed.

The palace reception rooms were decorated by the best artists of the day in an allegorical sequence representing the Elements: the Room of Fire, the Room of Air, the Room of Water and the Room of Earth, all leading into the stunning Prince's Room, painted by French artist Gaspard Dughet, also known as Gaspard Poussin, after his brother-in-law, the celebrated baroque painter Nicolas Poussin.

 

Info: Tel. +39.06.959938231 www.comune.valmontone.rm.it

 

 


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