Monday, October 12, 2020

MELLINI VILLA

Viale del Parco Mellini 84

About 1471/84 for Mario Mellini after whom maybe Monte Mario was named

It is one of the few surviving fifteenth-century villas in Rome

When in 1788 the Mellini family extinguished with the death of Giulia (last heir of the family), who had married Mario Falconieri, the villa became property of the Falconieri family and it was renamed VILLA FALCONIERI

A second monumental entrance portal on Via Trionfale was added as well as a neo-Gothic building, known as CASALE FALCONIERI

In 1935 the villa was turned into the ASTRONOMICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATORY with the ASTRONOMICAL AND COPERNICAL MUSEUM which had been founded in 1873 in the Collegio Romano (Roman College) with Copernican memorabilia and with donations including that of Pietro Tacchini

Here are preserved ancient sextants, telescopes, sundials, compasses, Arab astrolabes of the twelfth and thirteenth century and one of the largest collection of globes in the world

LIBRARY

There are more than 20,000 books

No comments:

Post a Comment