Palazzo Marignoli: An Eclectic Palace on Via del Corso in Rome
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Italian
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page7 sections
History
Palazzo Marignoli is an eclectic palace in Rome, Italy, built between 1878 and 1883 by the architect Salvatore Bianchi for Marquis Filippo Marignoli, a deputy and senator. Eclectic architecture combines elements from different historical styles rather than following one vocabulary. The palace replaced the Augustinian convent of Santa Maria Maddalena delle Convertite and the church of Santa Lucia della Colonna.
The Augustinian convent
The earlier complex was connected with a medieval church originally dedicated to Saint Lucy. In 1520, Pope Leo X entrusted it to the Roman Confraternity of San Girolamo della Carità, a religious association of laypeople, to establish a monastery for former prostitutes who wished to leave the profession and live in enclosure under the Rule of Saint Augustine. This rule regulated communal and religious life, while enclosure restricted the nuns’ contact with the outside world. The church was consequently rededicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, and the name “Convertite” later became associated with the church as well.
The confraternity strictly controlled admission to the monastery so that it would not become simply a refuge for women who no longer had clients. Prominent Roman families, including the Aldobrandini, supported the complex over the centuries. It was repeatedly rebuilt and enlarged, particularly after a serious fire in 1617. The convent housed a large religious community until French occupying forces suppressed it in 1798. The area then remained unused for a long period before being acquired nearly a century later for construction of Palazzo Marignoli. Via delle Convertite, which runs alongside the palace between Piazza San Silvestro and Via del Corso, preserves the memory of the former convent.
Construction and alteration
A few years after the palace was built, it was renovated to allow Via del Corso to be widened. The original facade was demolished and replaced by a new design from Giulio Podesti. The Marignoli family later sold the building to Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà, an insurance company. Allianz, an international insurance and financial-services group, now owns the palace and promoted redevelopment works between 2016 and 2020.
Press and commercial uses
From 1935 to 2014, the first floor, and later the third floor, housed the Sala Stampa Italiana. This government-provided press facility served journalists who did not have a newsroom in Rome. The institution continues to operate for the same purpose from Piazza Augusto Imperatore 32. The premises facing Via del Corso, entered at number 180, housed Caffè Aragno from 1890. The café became Caffè Alemagna in 1955 and closed in 2014. From 27 May 2021, these historic commercial premises have housed an Apple Store.
Remains
Urban block and facade
Palazzo Marignoli occupies a large urban block in Rome’s Colonna district, between Piazza San Silvestro and Via del Corso. Via delle Convertite and Via di San Claudio bound the building on its other sides. The palace’s eclectic design is expressed in its representative exterior treatment. On the first noble floor, the principal representative level, three balconies project from the facade: two at the corners and one at the center. The central balcony is associated with three large arched windows, flanked by columns that support the balcony above on the second floor. At ground-floor level, the inscription “ARAGNO” remains visible on the facade.
Commercial premises and present use
The premises along Via del Corso form part of the building’s surviving commercial fabric. Their history runs from Caffè Aragno, opened there in 1890, through its later identity as Caffè Alemagna, to their present use as an Apple Store since 2021. Palazzo Marignoli remains in use, incorporating these commercial spaces within the functioning urban building.
