Locanda del Gallo di Vannozza Cattanei, Renaissance building in Rione Regola district, Rome, Italy.
Locanda del Gallo di Vannozza Cattanei is a Renaissance building on Vicolo del Gallo in the Rione Regola district, displaying typical 15th-century Roman architectural features. The structure was originally an inn with the characteristic proportions and materials typical of that period.
The building was acquired by Vannozza Cattanei, mistress of Pope Alexander VI Borgia while he was still a cardinal, in the 15th century according to Italian sources and in the second decade of the 16th century according to Portuguese ones. Her children Lucrezia, Cesare, Giovanni and Goffredo were all born there. The facade still bears her family coat of arms, quartered with a bull ("la vacca"), the Borgia bands, and lions of the Cattanei and of her third husband Carlo Canale.
The building reflects Renaissance life in Rome through its position near Campo de' Fiori, a central trading hub where merchants and travelers gathered. This location shows how prominent families expressed their wealth and status through their properties during this period.
The building sits near the active Campo de' Fiori marketplace, surrounded by restaurants and local shops that give the area its character today. The location is easily walkable and sits in a neighborhood where visitors can comfortably find their way around.
The building still bears Vannozza Cattanei's family coat of arms, quartered with a bull ("la vacca", the source of the inn's other name) and three bands, both Borgia elements, plus a rampant lion and a lion departing, arms of the Cattanei and of her third husband Carlo Canale, and a compass of unclear meaning.
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