History
Palazzo Costaguti
Palazzo Costaguti is a historical palace that dates back to the first half of the sixteenth century. The original building was constructed for the noble prelate monsignor Costanzo Patrizi, and was then sold to brothers Ascanio and Prospero Costaguti whose heirs still maintain ownership of the palace and the noble title of Marquess. Powerful figures in their time, the Costaguti renovate the palace, expanding it and commissioning highly acclaimed architects and painters from Rome.
Following the canon of Renaissance architecture, the palace features a piano nobile (main noble floor) accessed by a stately marble staircase. The noble floor housed the main public rooms for receptions and parties as well as the master bedrooms. The piano nobile now occupies the Costaguti Experience. The decorated interiors feature some of the most famous painters of the late Renaissance and early Baroque gracing the walls and ceilings with works of art that you can still admire today.
The Costaguti Experience boasts museum-grade frescoes by several masters of the time: the esteemed Cavalier d’Arpino, a painter that commanded Rome’s attention during the Baroque period. He was one of the early teachers of Caravaggio, Gaspard Poussin, and the brothers Taddeo and Federico Zuccari. The Zuccari brothers from the Marche region of Italy were innovators of Italy’s artistic heritage and their work can also be observed in the main living room with a fresco depicting the Allegories of the Months and Virtues.
The Allegory of the Months and Virtues
A work signed by Taddeo and Federico Zuccari, famous painters in the 16th century from the Marche region of Italy. Along the perimeter of the living room you can admire each month as a pictorial description and cultural reference. Admire the haymaker at work in June and the reaper and a woman harvesting in July. Observe a shepherd seated at the short of a river accompanied by a small deer in March and a snow-covered church in January. Alternating with each month are the Virtues, personified. Jump into the story for each month.
Arming Aeneas
A masterpiece by Cavalier d'Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari) in 1630, this elegant fresco decorates the vaulted ceiling of the grand billiard room. Aeneas, the Trojan war hero from Virgil's Aeneid, is surrounded by the divinities Mars, Diana, and Venus. As Mars provides Aeneas with a sword Diana latches his sheath. His mother, Venus, with a pained look on her face holds her son's helmet, the final piece of armor he'll put on before leaving for war.
A Heavenly Scene by Nicolas Poussin
Signed by famed French painter Nicolas Poussin who also lived in the palazzo with his brother-in-law Gaspard Dughet, the charming ceiling fresco features figurative putti (flying baby angels) in a serene sky scene. Marble monuments with laurel and doves add to the tranquil scene.