A plaque, on the front of a building, tells us that, from 1802 until 1820, the artist, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres,  lived on the street, along which we were walking.

A plaque, on Via della Mercede, tells us that this is where Gian Lorenzo Bernini lived and died.  Actually, the artist lived, worked, and died across the street from the building with the plaque.  Bernini had his workshop and home on Via della Mercede, #11 and #12, which are both opposite the memorial we see today.

A little further along Via della Mercede, we came to another building with a plaque, this time in honor of Luigi Carlo Farini.  Farini was dictator of Emilia for the Kingdom of Sardinia, from 1859 through 1860.  Then, he served as president of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy, from 1862 through 1863, which was when he lived in this building.

The Teatro Sala Umberto is at Via della Mercede, #50.  The theater began as a home for comedies, operettas, and concerts, before being used as a cinema.  Over the years, it has gone back and forth, from being a film house, to being a legit theater.  Today, it is a popular place to see live comedies, as well as prose theater.

At Piazza di San Silvestro, #19, you will find the Palazzo delle Poste.  It dates from the late 1800s, when the monastery, attached to the Chiesa di San Silvestro in Capite, was demolished.  The façade of the postal building was designed by Luigi Rosso and Giovanni Malvezzi.  It is considered to be the most beautiful postal building, in all of Italy.

I know that this may sound like a strange recommendation, but if you find yourself walking along Piazza di San Silvestro, do yourself a favor, and go into the post office, using the main door.  As you walk through the entranceway, there is a display of ancient Roman architectural fragments.  The main treat, though, is waiting for you inside.  There, to your right, you will find a small, but interesting museum of the Italian Postal Services.  Admission is free, and you will most likely have the exhibition space to yourself.  This is one of Rome’s hidden gems, as far as I am concerned.

The cornetta was an instrument that the postal person would blow into, to alert others that he was arriving, functioning like a modern horn would, on a car.

 

Next up: More from the Postal Museum, and then, we explore a new area, and have a delicious fish dinner!

 

Note: This blog is written in English, and the author takes no responsibility for the quality of any translation that may appear.  If you have enjoyed this post, please, check out our archives for more posts from Rome, as well as other Italian destinations.  Grazie!