The House of Monsters

Walking Tours of Rome

The Casa dei Mostri

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In Via Gregoriana, a stone's throw from the Spanish Steps, stands one of the strangest looking buildings in the whole of Rome.

The Palazzo Zuccari, also known as the Casa dei Mostri (House of Monsters), was constructed by the artist Federico Zuccari (1542-1609) in 1592. Zuccari wanted his palazzo to be a home for artists, but his family had other ideas, and after his death it was sold. 

​In the middle of the 18th century (1752-53) the palazzo briefly become the home of the British painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-92). Two years later the German art historian, Johann Winckelmann (1717-68), took up residence, living there until his death in 1768.

Since 1912 the Palazzo Zuccari has been home to the Biblioteca Hertziana. 

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The House of Monsters