Palazzo Bonaparte & Napoleon's Mother

Map

Palazzo Bonaparte

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On May 5th 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte (b. 1769) died on the island of St. Helena. 

It is one of the great ironies of history that Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), a fervent admirer of ancient Rome and the man who declared “I am a true Roman Emperor; I am of the best race of the Caesars', never actually visited the Eternal City.

​Although the erstwhile emperor of France never visited Rome, his name is emblazoned for all to see on the altana of a palazzo in the heart of the city.

On the north side of Piazza Venezia, at the start of Via del Corso, stands the Palazzo Bonaparte, an imposing building, which was once the residence of Napoleon’s mother, Maria Letizia Ramolino (1750-1836). 

The 17th century palazzo was originally built for Giuseppe e Benedetto d'Aste (whose family's name also appears on the altana). In 1770, the palazzo passed to Folco Rinuccini. Fifty years later it was bought by Maria Letizia Ramolino, Napoloen's mother, who lived there from 1818 until her death in 1836.   

It was at the behest of Madame Bonaparte that the palazzo's only balcony be enclosed behind wooden slatted shutters, so that she could sit there, hidden from the prying eyes of curious passers-by, and watch the world go by.

After losing her sight the old lady would be accompanied on her balcony by a female companion, who would relate the events taking place in the busy Via del Corso and Piazza Venezia, then known as Piazza San Marco. 

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Palazzo Bonaparte: Balcony

Palazzo Bonaparte: Altana