LEGALS Greatbeauty 22 02

Fig. 2 Piazza Campitelli in an engraving by Giovan Battista Falda (1665) (Spinola 1995, tav. II)
In fact, in 1603 Knight Baldassarre Paluzzi Albertoni requested a permit to build the new facade, widening
the area of the existing property towards the square and aligning the new wall with the corner of the adjacent
Capizucchi palace. In 1616 he required an additional permit to construct, over the back door of his
palace and over the alley, an archway to allow passage to his “nearest neighbors” who were carrying out
further restructuring at that time (this is the archway built in the back, in the outside of the building, at the
height of the first floor).
So it is possible that the two buildings belonged to the same owner from the beginning, and then passed
from one family to another. Moreover, it is plausible that the facade was created at another time – on an
already existing renovated building – as witnessed by cartographers of the era: Cartaro, Du Peràc, and
Tempesta, whose maps indicate already existing houses in that area.
In addition, what also possibly indicates these two phases is the different alignment of the interior: it is orthogonal
to the courtyard and to the sides of the adjacent palaces, but it is off-axis with respect to the front
of the square. In fact, the entrance gallery of the building forms a diagonal connection between the square
and the inner courtyard.
The presence of the Albertoni family is recorded in Campitelli square: the family’s coat-of-arms, the lion
passant (Fig. 3) is to be found on the old fountain (1587-89) as well as in the palace, above the entrance,
over the lintels and niches along the stairs and in the frieze below the cornice of the main facade where we
see lions passant with roe deer.
appraisal