Medici Lante Della Rovere Palace

The palace was commissioned after 1516 by Alfonsina Orsini, wife of Piero de’ Medici, who already owned a nearby palace that would later become known as Palazzo Madama. The original design is likely attributed to Giuliano da Sangallo, although the Florentine architect Nanni di Baccio Bigio was later called to Rome to oversee its construction.

Upon the death of Alfonsina Orsini, the building, already under construction, was bequeathed to her brother-in-law, Giovanni dei Medici, who had become Pope Leo X (1513–1521). Caterina dei Medici also lived there for a time. Having become Queen of France in 1533, she renounced all her properties in Italy, and the palace passed to the Medici of Florence, who sold it in 1538 to Marcantonio Palosio. In 1558, it was sold to Ludovico Lante, who continued the work by joining the building to other neighbouring houses he owned. Following the marriage of Marcantonio Lante to Lucrezia della Rovere, the palace was extended to form a single complex with the adjacent Della Rovere palace. Around the mid-18th century, the architect Carlo Murena (1713–1764), commissioned by Cardinal Federico Marcello Lante, restored the entire building.

The section of the palace originally belonging to the Lante family features an architraved portal with consoles, bearing the inscription “Ludovicus Lantes”. On either side are windows with iron grilles and supported sills resting on consoles, two of which were later converted into doorways. The first floor has seven architraved windows resting on consoles and surmounted by small square windows; the second floor features an equal number of architraved windows, while the third floor is characterised by small windows with simple surrounds. The façade also features string courses, while a vertical rusticated band separates the sections belonging to the Lante and Della Rovere families. The inner courtyard, considered one of the finest Renaissance courtyards, is decorated with the heraldic coats of arms of the various families who owned the palace over time.

The section originally belonging to the Della Rovere family is distinguished by a rusticated entrance portal and two windows on each side, one of which was later transformed into a doorway. The first floor features five architraved windows, while those on the upper levels have simple surrounds; on the first floor there are five windows with architraves, whilst those on the other floors have simple frames; on the fourth floor, the windows are surmounted by small windows. Today, the building is owned by the Aldobrandini family.

Palazzo Medici Lante della Rovere Ph. Turismo Roma