The curved façade of the Renaissance Palazzo Colonna Barberini at Palestrina, Lazio, Italy, follows the outline of the 1st century AD Roman Temple of Fortuna Primigenia. Remnants of the temple were incorporated in a mansion built in 1043 AD by the powerful Colonna dynasty. It was twice destroyed and rebuilt before passing to the Barberini family in 1630. The arc of monumental steps rising to the palace entrance once led to the temple, which stood in the Roman city of Praeneste, a favourite summer retreat of wealthy Romans. The palace is now an archaeological museum.
Palestrina, Roma, Lazio, Italy: the curved façade of the Renaissance Palazzo Colonna Barberini, now an archaeological museum, follows the circular outline of an ancient temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Fortuna that once stood on the site. Remnants of the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia, founded in the Roman city of Praeneste in about 120 BC, were incorporated into a mansion built here by the powerful Colonna family more than a thousand years later, in 1043 AD. The arc of monumental steps rising to the entrance of the present palace once led to the temple. Although the original mansion was twice destroyed and rebuilt, the Colonna family regained the land in 1493 and Prince Francesco Colonna rebuilt both the palace and the town. The Barberini family owned the palace from 1630 and lived there until the mid-19th century. In 1956, it was purchased by the Italian State. The ancient city of Praeneste was a favourite summer resort of wealthy Romans. Remains of the sanctuary visible today include stone walls, recesses and porticoes built on a series of five vast terraces that ascend the hillside in the form of a pyramid, leading to the site of Fortuna’s temple.
Size: 2725px × 4103px
Location: Palestrina, Roma, Lazio, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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