If you thought that Rome was just ancient ruins, baroque churches and fountains, and alleys paved with cobblestones (the bane of the Romans), get ready to think again. In the heart of the Trieste neighborhood hides an architectural gem that seems to have come straight out of a storybook: the Coppedè neighborhood. You are in front of a true dreamlike microcosm. Walk through it with eyes full of wonder and feet firmly on the ground, because at times you will feel like you are flying, like in a surreal Chagall painting.
The address of wonders
The pride of the Trieste neighborhood, Coppedè is a fascinating corner of the Eternal City. Here, Art Nouveau winks at Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, creating a mysterious and playful atmosphere, which it shares with the nearby Villa Torlonia. Composed of 17 villas and 26 buildings, it is not really a neighborhood, but rather a block. Located between Via Tagliamento, Via Clitunno, Via Serchio, Via Ombrone and Via Arno, it develops around Piazza Mincio, from which elegant streets branch out in a radial pattern. Walking among arches, towers and wrought iron decorations, the first question that comes to mind is who could have imagined this corner of the world. It’s time to tell you how it happened.
Who was Coppedè?
The year was 1915 and Rome, at the time already the capital of Italy for almost half a century, was experiencing an unprecedented building boom. So it was that the Società Anonima Edilizia Moderna (Modern Building Corporation) entrusted the design of an exclusive and elegant neighborhood to an architect who was out of the ordinary: Gino Coppedè. Florentine by birth, and having grown up in the shadow of the artistic marvels of his city, he was an artist who was above the rest. His style broke with convention in an original reinterpretation of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features, combined with the Art Nouveau style that was popular in the early 20th century.
Birth of a masterpiece
For the Eternal City he had the objective of creating an exclusive residential area, designed for the upper middle class. Thus a real fantasy world was born, where each building seems to tell a different fairy tale. The decorative richness of the villas and apartment buildings is also reflected in the apartments, for which valuable materials such as glazed majolica or Pompeian-style mosaics were used. However, we can only use our imagination about this. In fact, they are still private homes and therefore not open to the public. Coppedè worked on the neighborhood until 1927, the year of his death. At that point, the completion of the work passed to his son-in-law and pupil Paolo Emilio André, who remained faithful to the architect’s unconventional vision.
A triumphal entrance
Our walk begins at the monumental arch built in 1921 and located in Via Dora which, like a magical portal, constitutes the entrance to the Coppedè neighborhood. It is reminiscent of the triumphal arches of ancient Rome. If you cross it with your nose up in the air, you can’t miss the elaborate decorations and a large wrought iron chandelier, which seems to have come straight out of a medieval tavern. The arch, a riot of friezes, stuccoes, masks, ashlar work, statues, balustrades and loggias, is set between two towers, one octagonal and one square. And that’s not all. It joins the Palazzi degli Ambasciatori (Embassy Buildings), also richly decorated with turrets, balconies and numerous details that mix floral motifs and esoteric symbols. Even today, the neighborhood’s tradition of hosting foreign embassies is alive and well, such as the Moroccan Embassy in Via Brenta and the New Zealand Embassy in Via Clitunno.
The Fountain of the Frogs
Once through the arch, we find ourselves in Piazza Mincio, the beating heart of the Coppedè district with, in the center, the Fountain of the Frogs, built in 1924. Don’t be fooled by its small size! The fountain is a unique example of urban decoration, surprising for the time. It consists of a central basin with frogs protruding from the edges, while four pairs of figures below each hold a shell. Stop here for a while and let yourself be carried away by the sound of the water and the playful intertwining of the jets, as if in a surreal dance. It is a work that not only catches the eye, but also hides a curious story.
The secrets of Piazza Mincio
According to popular belief, on the evening of June 27, 1965, after the concert at the Teatro Adriano (now a cinema) in the Prati district, the Beatles were near Piazza Mincio and, due to the suffocating summer heat, apparently dived into the fountain, making this place even more legendary. And that’s not all. Piazza Mincio is the protagonist of a unique phenomenon that takes place on the day of the spring equinox, when at sunset the sunlight passes under the arch and, with a suggestive play of reflections among the buildings of the square, hits the highest jet of the fountain, coloring it a beautiful vermilion red.
Bizarre dwellings for an elegant Rome
At this point, if you look around you, you’ll realize that the real magic is in the buildings surrounding the square. In front of you are the famous Villini delle Fate (Fairy Cottages), a true masterpiece of architectural eclecticism. The building is made up of three structures, all completely asymmetrical. If you look at the façades, you’ll notice that they’re not all the same, on the contrary! Between irregular loggias, intertwining arches, stairways and canopies, marvelous decorations stand out, such as geometric friezes, medieval scenes and floral motifs. The whole thing is made even more magical by the lush vegetation, consisting of majestic trees, well-tended bushes, elegant palm trees and a few rare plants. Trust us, it’s like looking at a painting come to life!
Three cities in one neighborhood
On the floor of the entrance hall, a round mosaic welcomes visitors with the inscription “I Villini delle Fate: Mneme, Melete, Aede” (The Fairy Cottages: Mneme, Melete, Aede), while each cottage pays homage to three Italian cities: Rome, Florence and Venice. Have fun discovering, on the three facades, the depictions of Dante and Petrarch portrayed next to the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, in Florence; of the She-wolf, Capitoline symbol painted with Romulus and Remus on a small balcony and, finally, the Lion of St. Mark, facing a sailing ship and recalling the city of Venice. Wait a minute… have any of you noticed the unusual astronomical clock that stands out on one of the façades of the small villas? If the answer is no, don’t be discouraged. Instead, take all the time you have available to admire the many decorations that follow one another on these magnificent buildings… there will be a continuous discovery of details and surprises.
Under the sign of the spider
If you look at the other buildings facing onto Piazza Mincio, you’ll notice that the style changes slightly, becoming more sober in places. The buildings, with their loggias and balconies that look like they’ve been carved out of the stone, have several floors. Can you see that building with the more severe lines and a somewhat enigmatic air? It’s the Palazzo del Ragno (Spider Palace), which takes its name from the enormous golden spider depicted on a black background above the main entrance. Far from being just a decoration, it symbolizes tireless human industriousness. The same theme of work can be found in the knight portrayed between two griffins and the inscription “Labor”, on the loggia on the third floor. On the facade, however, the Latin phrase “Artis praecepta recentis / Maiorum exempla extendo” stands out, which means “I represent the precepts of modern art through the examples of the ancients” and seems, to all intents and purposes, a declaration of intent by the architect Coppedè.
The eternal greeting of the Ospes Salve
In the most mysterious neighborhood in Rome, a cryptic building like the Nameless Palace is a must. It is nicknamed Ospes Salve, from the Latin inscription on the facade: “Ingredere has aedes / quisquis es amicus eris / hospitem sospito” (“Enter this place / whoever you are, you will be a friend / I protect the guest”). Each guest is invited to enter, with the promise of protection and friendship. Dating back to 1926, it is considered a sort of “goodbye” by the architect Coppedè, since it may have been his last design. Statues, friezes, rusticated ashlar and inscriptions intertwine, creating an overwhelming visual dialogue. When designing the monumental entrance, Coppedè was inspired by the set design of the silent film Cabiria by Giovanni Pastrone from 1914. And if the façade is an invitation, the interior is a journey. Once you cross the threshold, you find yourself in an atrium decorated with seahorses and lizards chasing each other along the walls.
Coppedè: a set for all emotions
The Coppedè district’s ability to evoke such different emotions has meant that several directors have been captivated by it. To mention a few examples, in 1959 Nanni Loy chose it to shoot some scenes of Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti with Vittorio Gassman. And could Dario Argento, master of the thriller, resist the call of these buildings? Obviously not! The director used the interiors and exteriors of Palazzo Ospes Salve for the film The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970). Piazza Mincio, on the other hand, is the sinisterly lit place overlooked by the Philosophical Library in Inferno (1980). But don’t think that Coppedè is only the realm of the Gothic! In 1973, the director Nando Cicero transformed it into the surreal setting of a sexy Italian comedy: Ultimo tango a Zagarol, an irreverent parody that made Italy laugh and added a touch of lightheartedness to the neighborhood’s cinematic curriculum.
Getting lost in the narrow streets
After having admired its most famous places, the Coppedè district still has a lot to offer. Its side streets have a less showy, but equally charming appeal. On Via Tanaro, for example, there are buildings with more geometric architectural lines, with sober and very elegant decorations. The Art Nouveau villas of Via Clitunno, where the aforementioned Embassy of New Zealand and the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation are located, have a more measured style compared to the daring experiments of the main squares, but are no less fascinating. Finally, don’t miss the gardens hidden behind the elaborate gates, which reveal green corners of rare beauty, small havens of tranquility in one of the most surprising neighborhoods in Rome.
Some more advice for your walk
· What is the perfect time to visit Coppedè? Although it is always fascinating, its beauty is enhanced differently depending on the time of day. Early in the morning you will explore the neighborhood in total tranquility, among semi-deserted streets. The magical hour, however, is undoubtedly sunset. The warm, golden light of the setting sun gives the neighborhood an almost unreal atmosphere, perfect for strolling and taking memorable photos. The evening has its own charm too, when the Coppedè takes on a mysterious allure in the light of the street lamps, perfect for those who love a more gothic and enigmatic environment.
After a stroll through the neighborhood streets, it’s time to pamper yourself with brunch or a good aperitif in one of the neighboring areas. Take advantage of one of the bars or clubs located in the Trieste neighborhood, which we recommend here (link to the article on bars, pastry shops and restaurants in Trieste-Salario).
