The Café in the Cloister

Map

Cloister of Santa Maria della Pace

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The delightful cloister (chiostro) of the church of Santa Maria della Pace, the work of Donato Bramante (1444-1514), and a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, was commissioned, circa 1500, by Cardinal Oliviero Carafa (1430-1511). 

Built on a square plan, the cloister is made up of two storeys. The lower storey is a spacious vaulted portico with four arches on each side. The arches are articulated with Ionic pilasters. The upper storey is an open gallery with alternating Corinthian pilasters and columns and a wooden ceiling.

The most unusual feature of the design is the placing of a column above the centre of each of the ground-floor arches, thus breaking the hallowed rule of void over void and solid over solid.

The upper floor of Bramante's cloister is home to a charming café. 

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The café in the cloister