DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61894#0037
Ch. I. THROUGH ITALY. 27
donecl to the care of a few half-starved servants,
and are now scarcely preserved from falling1 into
ruin. The furniture of the Medicean palace or
villa was conveyed to Florence, that of the Far-
nesia'n to Naples ; and they form in both places
the principal ornaments of the respective collec-
tions. Fr om the latter were taken the Hercules
and the celebraterl groupe called the Toro Far-
nese ; from the former the Venus of Medicis—I
need mention no more. It is not my intention,
nor is it conformable to my general plan, to de-
scribe in detail the beauties of every palace. To
point out the principal features of a few of the
most celebrated edifices of this kind will be fully
sufficient.
The Doria palace in the Corso presents three
vast fronts ; contains a spacious court adorned
with a public portico all around. The staircase
is supported by eight pillars of oriental granite,
and conducts to a magnificent gallery that occu-
pies the four sides of the court, and with several
adjoining apartments is filled with pictures of the
highest estimation.
The Palazzo Ruspoli is remarkable for its
staircase, supposed to be the noblest in Rome.—-
It consists of four flights of thirty steps each ;
each step consists of a single piece of marble near
donecl to the care of a few half-starved servants,
and are now scarcely preserved from falling1 into
ruin. The furniture of the Medicean palace or
villa was conveyed to Florence, that of the Far-
nesia'n to Naples ; and they form in both places
the principal ornaments of the respective collec-
tions. Fr om the latter were taken the Hercules
and the celebraterl groupe called the Toro Far-
nese ; from the former the Venus of Medicis—I
need mention no more. It is not my intention,
nor is it conformable to my general plan, to de-
scribe in detail the beauties of every palace. To
point out the principal features of a few of the
most celebrated edifices of this kind will be fully
sufficient.
The Doria palace in the Corso presents three
vast fronts ; contains a spacious court adorned
with a public portico all around. The staircase
is supported by eight pillars of oriental granite,
and conducts to a magnificent gallery that occu-
pies the four sides of the court, and with several
adjoining apartments is filled with pictures of the
highest estimation.
The Palazzo Ruspoli is remarkable for its
staircase, supposed to be the noblest in Rome.—-
It consists of four flights of thirty steps each ;
each step consists of a single piece of marble near