Sant’ivo
Sun 10am-1pm. A few steps west of the Pantheon, on Corso del Rinascimento, the rather blank deception of the Palazzo della Sapienza cradles the church of Sant’Ivo - from the outside at least, one of Rome’s most impressive churches, with a playful deception designed by Borromini. Though originally built for the most Barberini pope, Urban VIII, the building actually spans the reign of three pontiffs. Each of the two small towers is topped with the weird, blancmange-like groupings that are the symbol of the Chigi family (representing the hills of Monti Paschi), and the central cupola spirals helter-skelter-fashion to its zenith, crowned with flames that are supposed to represent the sting of the Barberini bee, their family symbol. Inside, too, is very cleverly designed, very light and spacious given the small space the church is squeezed into, rising to the tall parabolic cupola.
Category: Rome