The Casina dei Vallati in the Sant’Angelo district in Rome is the current seat of the Museo della Shoah. The palace really consists of two different buildings.
A brief history of the Casina dei Vallati in Rome
In the 13th and 14th century, the Roman Vallati family owned several buildings in the area around what is now the Via del Portico d’Ottavia. The two palaces the Casina dei Vallati consists of used to be hidden from view by several other constructions that had been built against it. In the 1930s, most of these buildings were destroyed, but the medieval ones were saved and subsequently restored.
The building on the right, facing the Via del Portico d’Ottavia, dates back to the 13th century. In 2015, it became the seat of the Shoah Museum, which aims to keep alive the memory of the extermination of the Jews by the hands of the Nazis and Fascists during World War II.
The part of the building facing the Portico d’Ottavia itself was constructed in the 16th century. The marble window frames were taken from one of the buildings that were destroyed. The original 16th-century marble portal features the coat of arms of the Vallati family (a palm tree supported by two lions). The family motto ID VELIS QUOD POSSIS (“Desire the possible”) is inscribed on the lintel. The plaque to the right of the portal commemorates the deportation of Jews in 1943.
Via del Portico d’Ottavia, 29 – Rome
Sources
- Casina dei Vallati on the Roma Segreta website (Italian)
- Photos are my own.