Villa Giustiniani Massimo, Historic villa near Lateran Square, Rome, Italy
Villa Giustiniani Massimo is a two-story building in Rome, with a ground-floor loggia and a first-floor gallery running along its facade. Ancient sarcophagi and classical reliefs are set into the outer walls, giving the exterior the appearance of an open-air display of Roman antiquity.
Marquis Vincenzo Giustiniani had the building constructed between 1605 and 1618 on former vineyard land, filling it with art collections gathered over many years. The Massimo family later acquired the property, which is how it came to carry both family names today.
The ground floor rooms carry frescoes by Nazarene artists showing scenes from Dante's Divine Comedy alongside works inspired by Ariosto and Tasso. These wall paintings give a clear sense of the literary taste that shaped the decoration of the house from the beginning.
The villa sits on Via Matteo Boiardo in Rome and now serves as the headquarters of the Delegation of the Holy Land Custody. Access is not always possible, so it is worth checking in advance before making the trip.
A 3rd-century sarcophagus showing the myth of Achilles on Skyros is set directly above the main portal on the western facade. It was not placed there as a generic ornament but came from the personal antiquities collection that Giustiniani had built up over his lifetime.
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