The Casatorre or Casina dei Pierleoni is a medieval tower house in the Via del Teatro di Marcello, more or less across the road from the church of San Nicola in Carcere in Rome. It is named for a Jewish family that used to own several properties in the area.
A brief history of the Casina dei Pierleoni in Rome
In the 1930s, the built-up area around the Theater of Marcellus was alomost completely demolished. Mussolini needed the space to construct a new road (the Via del Mare) to Ostia. The Casina dei Pierleoni is one of few buildings that survived this destruction.
At the time, the building was part of a larger complex overlooking the Piazza Montanaro, a square that was also destroyed. Being the most beautiful part of this complex, the Casina was spared. Where needed, architectural elements of other medieval buildings were used to complete its reconstruction.
It was only after this reconstruction that the building got its current name. Other buildings in the area owned by the Pierleoni family were the Torre Caetani on the Isola Tiberina and the Palazzo Savelli Orsini.
Portico del Foro Olitorio
The Casatorre probably escaped destruction thanks to its picturesque position, mirroring the campanile of San Nicola in Carcere across the road. The Portico del Foro Olitorio nextdoor was probably saved for the same reason. The Forum Holitorium itself was the site of ancient Rome’s vegetable market.