Horse-Racing & Rome's Carnival

Via del Corso

Street shrine, Via del Corso

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About half-way along Via del Corso, at the junction with Via delle Vite, a plaque marks the spot where an ancient arch once stood. 

The Arco di Portogallo was removed at the behest of Pope Alexander VII (r. 1655-67). The removal of the arch was part of a general refurbishment of Via Lata (as Via del Corso was then called), in a bid to make the road straight once more.

In translation, the plaque proclaims: 'Alexander the Seventh, Supreme Pontiff, for the general convenience and embellishment, caused Via Lata, racecourse of the city during carnival, to be freed of any buildings in its path and to be straightened in the year of Salvation, 1665'. 

Via Lata was the site of the city's carnival, one of the highlights of which were the Barbary races. Riderless stallions raced the full length of Via Lata, from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza Venezia, and the arch would have proved a major hazard.  

The exact date and nature of the arch is not certain, but at the time of its demolition it was known as the Arco di Portogallo, as it was attached to the Palazzo Fano, home to the ambassador of Portugal. 

In addition to the plaque, the spot is marked by a beautiful street shrine. Its canopy is adorned with eight-pointed stars, a reference to the coat of arms of the Chigi family to which Pope Alexander VII belonged. 

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Plaque to Pope Alexander VII