Casa dei Crescenzi

Located in the Rione Ripa, opposite the Temple of Portunus, it is a rare example of an aristocratic residence built between the 11th and 12th centuries and the oldest identifiable post-antiquity house still remaining in Rome. The urban context in which it stands today is completely different from the one in which it was inserted until the 1930s, when almost the entire area between the Theater of Marcellus and the Bocca della Verità was demolished for the construction of a street leading from Piazza Venezia to the sea.

One of the dwelling’s inscriptions proudly inform us that the house was built by Nicola dei Crescenzi for his son David: what’s motivated him was not vanity “but the desire to restore the ancient dignity of Rome”. Its strategic location was perfect for controlling traffic along the Tiber River and across Ponte Emilio (today’s Ponte Rotto), on whose transit the family charged a toll. The building had two floors (currently the ground floor and part of the upper floor are preserved); according to the customs of the time, it incorporates many architectural elements of ancient Roman buildings, including volutes, lacunars, putti and sphinxes, which increase its charm.

In addition to “Tor Crescenzia”, over the centuries the house was also referred to as the “Casa di Cola di Rienzo” perhaps because the Roman tribune was born nearby, and as the “Casa di Pilato” because in medieval sacred representations of the Passion this was the house of Pontius Pilate. The building was abandoned in the 15th century, as shown by the complete absence of subsequent interventions, and was then used as a stable and barn. In the second half of the 19th century, the house was purchased by the papal government; given to the City of Rome, since 1939 it has been home to the Centre for the Study of the History of Architecture, founded by Gustavo Giovannoni.