Palazzo Simonetti
The Simonetti family is one of the wealthiest and most aristocratic families in Rome. Rising to prominence in the late Middle Ages, the family gained wealth, power, and influence thru its connections to the Roman Catholic Church as well as other aristocratic families in the Eternal City. Members of the family became Cardinals, Bishops, and secretaries to the popes from the early Renaissance thru the early twentieth century. Among the highest of the “High and Mighty,” the Simonettis accumulated many noble titles throughout their history, including Princes of Viterbo, Counts of Ciampino, and Marchese of Fiumicino.
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Palazzo Simonetti was first built in the late fifteenth century as an urban Renaissance mansion in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Rome. The palace was expanded to its current size and exterior style in the late seventeenth century as the family’s power grew (and thus required a more impressive palace). The palazzo is designed in the style typical for the era, with a Piano Nobile on top of a ground floor dedicated to service and staff, all surrounding a central courtyard.
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Interior rooms of the Piano Nobile have been renovated and redecorated as styles changed, going from Renaissance to Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical. Lavish interiors feature marble, gilding, damask wall coverings, trompe l’oeil frescos and exquisite furnishings. The State Apartment of the Piano Nobile especially shows off the wealth and majesty of the Simonettis, as well as their priceless collection of art.
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Conversely, the ground floor Piano di Servizio is stark in its simplicity of style. While simple, the rooms on this level of the house were actually quite ahead of their time. Servants (who were used to sleeping on floors in the Renaissance and Baroque times and in multi-bed dormitory type bedrooms in the nineteenth century) were each given their own bedrooms, as well as separate living and dining rooms. This further showed off the wealth of the family, displaying that spatial efficiency was of no financial concern.
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The palazzo has been modernized and updated many times, but always with an eye to retaining its historical beauty. First wired for gas in the mid-nineteenth century, the palazzo was fully electrified by the turn of the twentieth century. The kitchens were updated as cooking technologies advanced. The stoves and ovens were converted from wood burning to gas in the late nineteenth century. The last update was only a few years ago, when the all of the refrigerators were replaced with top-of-the-line sub-zero models that were custom-designed to retain historical style.
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Open to the public every Saturday morning, the Palazzo Simonetti not only is a showcase for the power and prestige of one family, but also the artistic and design history of Rome and Italy itself.
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Palazzo Simonetti was first built in the late fifteenth century as an urban Renaissance mansion in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Rome. The palace was expanded to its current size and exterior style in the late seventeenth century as the family’s power grew (and thus required a more impressive palace). The palazzo is designed in the style typical for the era, with a Piano Nobile on top of a ground floor dedicated to service and staff, all surrounding a central courtyard.
*
Interior rooms of the Piano Nobile have been renovated and redecorated as styles changed, going from Renaissance to Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical. Lavish interiors feature marble, gilding, damask wall coverings, trompe l’oeil frescos and exquisite furnishings. The State Apartment of the Piano Nobile especially shows off the wealth and majesty of the Simonettis, as well as their priceless collection of art.
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Conversely, the ground floor Piano di Servizio is stark in its simplicity of style. While simple, the rooms on this level of the house were actually quite ahead of their time. Servants (who were used to sleeping on floors in the Renaissance and Baroque times and in multi-bed dormitory type bedrooms in the nineteenth century) were each given their own bedrooms, as well as separate living and dining rooms. This further showed off the wealth of the family, displaying that spatial efficiency was of no financial concern.
*
The palazzo has been modernized and updated many times, but always with an eye to retaining its historical beauty. First wired for gas in the mid-nineteenth century, the palazzo was fully electrified by the turn of the twentieth century. The kitchens were updated as cooking technologies advanced. The stoves and ovens were converted from wood burning to gas in the late nineteenth century. The last update was only a few years ago, when the all of the refrigerators were replaced with top-of-the-line sub-zero models that were custom-designed to retain historical style.
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Open to the public every Saturday morning, the Palazzo Simonetti not only is a showcase for the power and prestige of one family, but also the artistic and design history of Rome and Italy itself.