Villa Giustiniani/ Villa Massimo

Description:

• The Villa Giustiniani Massimo that takes its name from the family of Marquis Vincenzo Giustiniani lies between Via Merulana, Via Manzoni, Via Tasso and Piazza S. Giovanni. It was designed by Carlo Lombardi and added to by the family of Marquis Carlo Massimo that bought it during the 19th century. Massimo enlarged it quite substantially and added frescoes based on 14th-century themes with references to Dante, Tasso, Ariosto and many family coats of arms. Later, the property passed to the family of Prince Lancellotti that ceded the gardens to the City Council while the rest was sold to the Franciscans. The result was that the immense property was split up with the resultant loss of statues, fountains and sculptural pieces. Another loss was the destruction, during WWII, of the bust of Emperor Justinian, considered an ancestor of the family.
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