Page 6 - Issue 7

Federico Zuccari, who built it in 1592
The building houses the Hertziana Library specialized in History of Art
The Hertziana library, founded in 1913 in Rome, is an institute of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Society It was set up for research on Italian art starting from the period immediately fol- lowing antiquity, and, in particular, the Re- naissance and the Baroque periods It also focuses on the history of Italian art from the Middle Ages to modern times Workshops, study courses and lectures are held in the Biblioteca Herziana Perhaps, after all, the choice of the monster at the door for the li- brary entrance is quite opportune as a symbol for hunger of knowledge and research
THE SECRET, THE BIZARRE AND THE MAGICAL
Piper Club
The archway is the main entrance off Via
Tagliamento a few steps away from the Piper Club, Rome’s famous discotheque, inaugurat- ed in February 1965, where many well known Italian and foreign singers and musicians
of the 1960s were invited to sing and play Among the guest players were the Beatles, who performed two concerts there in June 1965 It is said that it was such a hot summer evening that after the concert the Beatles went straight into the Fontana delle rane to cool down
Front porch ceiling
The Fontana delle rane (the fountain of the
frogs) stands right in the centre of the com- plex in Piazza Mincio It is currently undergo- ing restoration work, hence the impossibility to give a full view of the fountain in the photo
It is surprising how cars are still allowed to circulate in and out of the Coppedè district rather than make it a pedestrian zone consid- ering the actual small area it covers It is not a real thoroughfare, being off the main road. If anything, it possibly makes it more compli- cated for drivers
Piazza Mincio
Rome’s Coppedè district lies just off Via
Tagliamento close to Piazza Buenos Aires It is a complex of buildings designed and built by the architect Gino Coppedè between 1913 and1927, and finished by his brother-in-law Paolo Emilio Andrè, a Florentine architect. Breaking from tradition, he combined a mix- ture of styles ranging from Art Nouveau, me- dieval Gothic, Baroque and ancient Greek
One of the striking features is the wrought iron chandelier hanging outside under the big archway as the visitor walks towards the square with the fountain of the frogs
Living Italy Past & Present 6