Chronicles of Regola

The residence at Vicolo del Giglio holds a revered place in twentieth-century art history. It was the longtime home and studio of Ramón Gaya (1910–2005), one of Spain’s most singular painters, writers, and thinkers. Associated with the Generation of '27 and the cultural missions of the Second Spanish Republic—where he helped bring masterworks of the Prado to rural villages—Gaya was forced into exile after the Spanish Civil War and the tragic death of his wife during the 1939 bombing of Figueres.

After years of exile in France and Mexico, Gaya returned to Europe in the 1950s and found in Rome his true spiritual home. He chose this quiet corner of Rione Regola, where the high ceilings and gentle afternoon light of Vicolo del Giglio provided an intimate refuge. For decades, looking out over the terracotta rooftops between Piazza Farnese and Campo de' Fiori, Gaya painted his luminous still lifes, Roman cityscapes, and profound homages to the Old Masters—Velázquez, Titian, and Rembrandt—while writing his landmark philosophical text, El sentimiento de la pintura (The Sentiment of Painting). In 2002, he was awarded Spain's inaugural Velázquez Prize for Plastic Arts.

The grand identity of Regola was shaped by the rise of the Farnese family—one of the most powerful and ambitious dynasties of the Italian Renaissance. Originally provincial military lords from northern Lazio, the family's meteoric ascent was ignited when Giulia Farnese captured the favor of Pope Alexander VI (Borgia), and her brother Alessandro was elevated to Cardinal. In 1534, Alessandro was crowned Pope Paul III, initiating a sixteen-year papacy that reshaped European history: he convened the Council of Trent to lead the Counter-Reformation, recognized the Jesuit Order, commissioned Michelangelo to paint The Last Judgment, and carved out the hereditary Duchy of Parma and Piacenza for his son Pier Luigi.

Construction of Palazzo Farnese (now the French Embassy) began in 1517 under Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and was dramatically expanded following Paul III’s papal election. When Sangallo died in 1546, Paul III appointed Michelangelo Buonarroti to take over the project.

Michelangelo’s indelible genius can be seen throughout the palazzo today:

• The Grand Cornice: Michelangelo completely redesigned the massive, deeply projecting classical cornice that crowns the top of the building, creating one of the most celebrated rooflines in Renaissance architecture.
• The Central Loggia & Papal Crest: He redesigned the central upper window and balcony above the main portal, crowning it with the colossal coat of arms of Pope Paul III.
• The Courtyard Upper Level: He added the soaring third story of the inner courtyard, refining its pilasters and windows.
• The Tiber Bridge Conception: Michelangelo conceived a visionary private bridge over the Tiber to connect Palazzo Farnese with the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere; while the full span was never built, the picturesque Arco Farnese over Via Giulia remains as the bridge's starting arch.

Beyond the grand palazzos lie the hidden layers of Roman history. Seek out the Arco degli Acetari (Arch of the Vinegar Makers) at Via del Pellegrino 19, a secluded medieval courtyard of rustic terracotta homes that feels completely frozen in the year 1600.

For a deeper descent into history, visit the Stadium of Domitian beneath Piazza Navona to see the ancient foundations of the city.

It’s apocryphally rumored that the feral cats you can find lounging in the ruins at the Largo di Torre Argentina are descended from cats Cleopatra gave to Mark Antony.

You can visit the Curia of Pompey, where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death.

You will see pillars from Pompey’s Theater as "spolia" in the facade of Photo Lui, a clothing store on Via dei Giubbonari (jacket makers' street), just a block from the apartment.