Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

Palazzetto Boncompagni Ludovisi: (left) garden side; (right) poster at the entrance in Via Boncompagni; the image used as background for this page is based on the coat of arms placed at the entrance to the building

In 1883-1886 the Boncompagni Ludovisi sold most of the area of their villa near Porta Pinciana to real estate developers who built hotels, smaller villas and expensive apartment blocks. The new development is known as Quartiere Ludovisi and two of its streets are named after the Ludovisi and the Boncompagni. The Boncompagni Ludovisi lived in their palace in Piazza Colonna which was named after Piombino, a family fiefdom, but the building was expropriated to enlarge Via del Corso. In 1886 Prince Rodolfo Boncompagni Ludovisi decided to build a new grand palace for the family near the casino of the villa. In 1900 he sold it to the Savoia, the royal family of Italy and in 1901-1903 he built a smaller one in a piece of land he still owned. It was designed by architect Giovanni Battista Giovenale in an eclectic Neo-Renaissance style which included some Baroque features.

Palazzetto Boncompagni Ludovisi: (left) Portrait of Pope Gregory XIII; (right) detail of a 1632 globe showing South-East Asia and China, where the first Jesuit missionaries established themselves during his pontificate

Of the two popes to whom the Boncompagni Ludovisi owed their fortunes, Gregory XIII (Ugo Boncompagni) is the one who has a greater historical relevance. He greatly promoted the missionary activity of the Roman Church, he founded colleges and he favoured scientifical developments, including the reform of the calendar. The pontificate of Gregory XV (Alessandro Ludovisi) lasted only 29 months, but his nephew Cardinal Ludovico managed to acquire such a wealth that he was able to assemble a major collection of ancient works of art.

Ceiling of "Salone delle Vedute" with a fake architecture and the heraldic symbol of the Boncompagni (a dragon) above a coat of arms of the Ludovisi

Rodolfo had two sons: Ugo (the elder) and Luigi; the latter (1857-1928) resided in this building. He dedicated himself to the improvement of the estates which the family still owned in Umbria and in the Roman Campagna. He was appointed Senator of the Kingdom in 1919. He married Isabella Vitelli Rondinelli of a Florentine and Umbrian noble family. With the annexation of the Papal State to the Kingdom of Italy in 1870 the right of succession to a specific property associated with a title of nobility to a single heir, based on male primogeniture, was abolished and Ugo and Luigi had the same legal rights to the succession of their father.

"Salone delle Vedute" view of the gardens of Villa Ludovisi by Alberto Chiarotto based on photographies taken by Prince Rodolfo Boncompagni Ludovisi before 1883

Andrea, the first child of Luigi, was born in 1884. His parents arranged his marriage with Margaret Preston Draper, of a very wealthy family. The Draper Corporation was the largest maker of power looms for the textile industry in the United States. The wedding took place in Boston in 1916; a very detailed prenuptial agreement stated that if the marriage stayed childless and if the prince so wished, they could divorce after ten years. The prince would then keep two large trusts in the USA and Margaret would keep her Princess title. In 1924 the childless marriage was revoked and Andrea had it annulled by the Sacra Rota, the Vatican tribunal dealing with these matters.

(left) 1926 Portrait of Blanceflor Boncompagni Ludovisi de Bildt by Philip Alexius de László (1869 Budapest - 1937 London); (right) Permanent Exhibition: wardrobe donated by Palma Bucarelli, curator of Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in 1942-1975

Blanceflor was born in Siena in 1891. Her parents were Swedes, Carl Bildt and his wife Alexandra, born Keiller. Carl Bildt served at the Swedish Embassy in Rome, almost uninterrupted, between 1889 and 1920 (he is buried in the Protestant Cemetery). Blanceflor was raised in a culturally rich home and she was given a comprehensive education. She spoke fluent Italian, French and English. In her twenties, she met Andrea Boncompagni Ludovisi and they fell in love. They married in 1924 and she became Princess Blanceflor Boncompagni Ludovisi, a title however that also Margaret Preston Draper claimed to be entitled to (she had a portrait of herself as Princess Boncompagni made by the same painter - external link).

XIXth century French wallpaper in a sitting room

Andrea inherited the building at 18 Via Boncompagni at the death of his father and he promoted its renovation and modernization in the 1930s. Blanceflor and Andrea remained childless and at Andrea's death in 1948, Blanceflor inherited the palace. She passed away in 1972 and she donated the building and its contents to the Italian State to be used as a cultural centre. In 1995 the 'Museum for Decorative Art, Customs and Fashion from the XIXth and XXth Centuries" was inaugurated.

"Sala degli Arazzi", a hall ending with a bow window towards the garden: XVIIth century Flemish tapestry depicting woods and animals

The small palace, although not in a scale comparable to those of other great Roman noble families, had some furnishings which were typical of the latter. See Palazzo Colonna, Palazzo Chigi at Ariccia and the Papal Palace of Castelgandolfo.

Permanent Exhibition: (left) 1934 portrait of Achille Campanile (an Italian writer known for his surreal humour and word play 1899-1977) by Leonetta Cecchi Pieraccini; (right) Vittorio Gassman (an Italian actor 1922-2000), trying on a suit by Angelo Litrico and a 1962 silk smoking by the same fashion designer

The focus of the museum is on the period 1930-1970, that during which Princess Blanceflor lived in the palace.

Temporary Exhibition in May 2024: Gold and Turquoise - the Ceramic Factory of Pratica di Mare which was founded in 1924 by Maria Monroj Borghese

See the houses of:
Hendrik Christian Andersen
Pietro Canonica
Isa and Giorgio de Chirico
Mario Praz
Keats-Shelley