Casa Mattei
Title
Casa Mattei
Description
The Casa Mattei is a great example of what a medieval house would look like for a powerful noble family. While these types of families would hold many properties throughout an entire neighborhood, the norm was that the whole family would live together under one roof. As a result, you get impressive structures such as the Casa Mattei.
The house is designed like a family complex, with many different rooms to house the large family. Columns on the wall may point to the presence of a portico, in which business could be conducted, and the outer walls point towards some level of fortification for protection. The complex also consists of a loggia, which would create a space for the women of the household to spend time outdoors, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors and a cool breeze off the river, while still remaining out of sight from everyday men and women on the street.
The house is located on the Via Della Lungaretta, one of the most important and densely populated thoroughfares in Trastevere since ancient times. Powerful families, such as the Mattei, lived on the Via Della Lungaretta because of its economic importance, which stems from its location right by Tiber Island and its bridges to Tiber bend, and its religious importance, as it leads to Santa Maria in Trastevere and acted as a major route for religious processions. The Mattei family would have held property all along the area, receiving rents from shopkeepers and other residents in the forms of money, wine, grain, and more. However, the Casa Mattei would have acted as their home and headquarters, an impressive complex fit for a powerful noble family, establishing their dominating presence in Trastevere.
The house is designed like a family complex, with many different rooms to house the large family. Columns on the wall may point to the presence of a portico, in which business could be conducted, and the outer walls point towards some level of fortification for protection. The complex also consists of a loggia, which would create a space for the women of the household to spend time outdoors, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors and a cool breeze off the river, while still remaining out of sight from everyday men and women on the street.
The house is located on the Via Della Lungaretta, one of the most important and densely populated thoroughfares in Trastevere since ancient times. Powerful families, such as the Mattei, lived on the Via Della Lungaretta because of its economic importance, which stems from its location right by Tiber Island and its bridges to Tiber bend, and its religious importance, as it leads to Santa Maria in Trastevere and acted as a major route for religious processions. The Mattei family would have held property all along the area, receiving rents from shopkeepers and other residents in the forms of money, wine, grain, and more. However, the Casa Mattei would have acted as their home and headquarters, an impressive complex fit for a powerful noble family, establishing their dominating presence in Trastevere.
Creator
Alex Chertoff (2021)
Source
Brentano, Robert. Rome before Avignon : A Social History of Thirteenth-century Rome. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. (p. 26, 35.)
Robbins, Deborah. “Via Della Lungaretta: The Making of a Medieval Street.” In Streets : Critical Perspectives on Public Space, edited by Çelik, Favro, Ingersoll. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994) p.166.
Robbins, Deborah. “Via Della Lungaretta: The Making of a Medieval Street.” In Streets : Critical Perspectives on Public Space, edited by Çelik, Favro, Ingersoll. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994) p.166.
Date
1271
Identifier
casamattei_2019
Coverage
Spatial Coverage
14 Lungotevere Degli Anguillara, 14, 00153 Roma RM
Description
The Casa Mattei is a great example of what a medieval house would look like for a powerful noble family. While these types of families would hold many properties throughout an entire neighborhood, the norm was that the whole family would live together under one roof. As a result, you get impressive structures such as the Casa Mattei.The house is designed like a family complex, with many different rooms to house the large family. Columns on the wall may point to the presence of a portico, in which business could be conducted, and the outer walls point towards some level of fortification for protection. The complex also consists of a loggia, which would create a space for the women of the household to spend time outdoors, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors and a cool breeze off the river, while still remaining out of sight from everyday men and women on the street.
The house is located on the Via Della Lungaretta, one of the most important and densely populated thoroughfares in Trastevere since ancient times. Powerful families, such as the Mattei, lived on the Via Della Lungaretta because of its economic importance, which stems from its location right by Tiber Island and its bridges to Tiber bend, and its religious importance, as it leads to Santa Maria in Trastevere and acted as a major route for religious processions. The Mattei family would have held property all along the area, receiving rents from shopkeepers and other residents in the forms of money, wine, grain, and more. However, the Casa Mattei would have acted as their home and headquarters, an impressive complex fit for a powerful noble family, establishing their dominating presence in Trastevere.
Creator
Alex Chertoff (2021)Date
1271Coverage
1300sSource
Brentano, Robert. Rome before Avignon : A Social History of Thirteenth-century Rome. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. (p. 26, 35.)Robbins, Deborah. “Via Della Lungaretta: The Making of a Medieval Street.” In Streets : Critical Perspectives on Public Space, edited by Çelik, Favro, Ingersoll. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994) p.166.