Palazzo Torlonia

Description:

• The elegant Palazzo Torlonia was built for Cardinal Andriano Castellesi da Corneto, secretary to Pope Alessandro VI Borgia, but he never lived there. He let it before it was finished to Henry VIII of England who made it into the English embassy to the Holy See until the schism with Rome occurred when it was confiscated by the apostolic chamber. In 1760, the palace was bought by the family of Cardinal Giraud who were bankers in the city of Marseilles. A century later, the Torlonia family bought and subsequently transformed it. There is a debate about who was responsible for its design but, most probably, it was the work of Andrea Bregno who also designed the Palazzo della Cancelleria with which it bears some similarities. In the centre of the main façade, on Via della Conciliazione, the main entrance is adorned with pilasters and Corinthian capitals. The inner courtyard is more beautiful, perhaps by Raphael, and is decorated with statues, arches and two lovely fountains.
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