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PALAZZO MASSIMO ALLE COLONNE 

March 16th
written by Sergio Caggìa with Paul Gwynne for © Nerone the Insider's Guide to Rome

 

One of the hidden jewels of Rome is the glorious Palazzo Massimi alle Colonne whose curious convex facade can be seen opposte the church of S. Andrea della Valle along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Constructed for the family after the Sack of Rome in 1527 the unusual shape was dictated by the foundations built upon the cavea (the stands for the spectators) of the stadium of the emperor Domitian. The exsquisite interior is the masterpiece of Baldassare Peruzzi, onetime pupil and assistant of Raphael. Despite the family's assurances that retoration of the palace is taking place, there seems little evidence of this from the grimey exterior. Closed to the public and art historians alike, the palace is, however, open just one day a year, 16 March, in memory of the miracle performed by San Filippo Neri on that day in 1583. The young Paolo Massimi was recalled from the dead by the saint, who spoke with the resurrected child for a while, but was unable to convince him to stay in this world. Thrilled at the thought of hearing the angelic choir once more, the boy confessed his willingness to die and returned again to heaven. The room in which he died is now a chapel in which masses are recited continually on the morning of 16 March.