Villa Silvestri Rivaldi

A stunning monumental complex overlooking the Colosseum and the Imperial Forums. The original core of the villa dates back to the first half of the 16th century when Eurialo Silvestri, a chamberlain of Pope Paul III Farnese, commissioned a sumptuous and vast representative residence, probably designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, the Farnese family’s trusted architect, or someone from his circle. The residence was decorated with rich coffered ceilings and a cycle of frescoes on the pagan history of Rome and the glory of the Church, attributed to the workshop of Perin del Vaga and Francesco Salviati.

In 1549, when Silvestri’s career hopes (a hoped-for but unsuccessful election as cardinal) were dashed by the death of the pontiff, work was interrupted. His heirs sold the property to Alessandro de’ Medici, Archbishop of Florence and Grand Ducal Ambassador, who entrusted the layout of the garden to the sculptor and architect Giacomo del Duca, a pupil of Michelangelo. With Alessandro’s departure from Rome in 1584, the residence was once again abandoned, rented or sold, with repeated changes of ownership and consequent modifications, especially to the gardens.

About a century later, in the mid-17th century, the complex was purchased by the “Conservatorio delle Zitelle Mendicanti” (Conservatory for Poor Young Women) thanks to a bequest from the wealthy Monsignor Ascanio Rivaldi. The large frescoes that decorated it were deemed unsuitable for the building’s new function and overpainted. The villa was adapted into a residence for the young women assisted by the conservatory, who contributed to their own upkeep by working. Further transformations were necessary to accommodate the equipment used to produce silk, hemp, linen and, above all, wool fabrics: it became the most important textile factory in Baroque Rome, continuing production until the unification of Italy.

At the end of the 19th century, it became a welfare institution (the “Pio Istituto Rivaldi”) and a girls’ school, but the complex suffered major damage in the 1930s. The opening of Via dell’Impero, now Via dei Fori Imperiali, mutilated the garden, which originally stretched as far as the Basilica of Maxentius, destroying its Renaissance and Baroque decorations. Acquired by ISMA - Istituti di Santa Maria in Aquiro but left unused, between the 1970s and 1980s the building was occupied by young people involved in political movements. The “Convento Occupato” was Rome’s first social center, hosting concerts and events. After a long period of neglect, research and consolidation work began in the early 2000s. In 2024, the complex was finally purchased by the Lazio Region. With funding from the Ministry of Culture, the Special Superintendency of Rome and the Central Institute of Restoration launched a restoration and enhancement project to make the villa usable again.