LEGALS GreatBeauty 09 03

appraisal
Fig. 3 – The Albertoni coat-of-arms
(Rendina 1993, p. 244)
Some of the minor palaces of the Paluzzi Albertoni family in Margana square, as well as under n. 36 of Via
de’ Delfini, were connected to the larger palace, both structurally and functionally.
The heirs of the Paluzzi Albertoni family adopted on October 21, 1671 the surname and the arms of the
Altieris together with the title of Princes by desire of Emilio Altieri (1590-1676) elevated to the Papacy in
1670 under the name of Clement X. Thus all the riches of the Altieris passed on to the descendants of the
Paluzzi Albertoni family renamed as Altieri. In fact, the Palace of Piazza Campitelli turned out to be a less
prestigious residence than the palace built by the Altieri al Gesù family which, together with the villa at the
Lateran, was to host the works of art of the family.
The Palace in Piazza Campitelli, remaining at the hands of the renewed offspring of the Altieris for more
than a century (Fig. 4), was elevated with a fourth floor on top of the attic, and was sold in 1808 approximately
by Prince Paluzzo Altieri to a famous Spanish General, Manuel Godoy y Alvares de Faria Ríos
Sánchez Zarzosa, Prince of Paz de Basano (1767-1851). Somewhat later, the building was handed over to
Cardinal Bartolomeo Pacca (1756-1844) who lived there from time to time at least from 1819. Upon Pacca’s
death, the palace of Piazza Campitelli belonged to his grandchildren for about fifty years, who rented
parts of it out to their acquaintances, including Cardinals Giacomo Piccolomini and Giacomo Antonelli.