If you’re planning a tour of Rome’s most beautiful neighbourhoods and want to discover the most esoteric and unusual corners of the capital, then you absolutely must visit the Coppedè district. More than a district, it’s really a tiny corner of the city, made up of just 26 small palaces, 17 villini and a little square.
A bit small to call it a “district”, don’t you think?
And yet, despite its modest size, this part of Rome will leave you speechless.
Right in the middle of the “ordinary” buildings of Viale Regina Margherita, the Coppedè district is where completely different architectural styles meet. The most obvious are Art Nouveau and Art Deco, but if you look closely you’ll even notice Greek, Baroque and medieval influences.
The district takes its name from the brilliant artist who conceived it, the Florentine architect Gino Coppedè, who managed to blend these worlds into a single fantasy, turning this corner into one of the most original spots in Rome.
Want to know a little more about the Coppedè district in Rome?
Let me take you to discover one of the most singular and fascinating places in the capital, and perhaps a slightly… esoteric one too!
Let’s go!
The Coppedè district in Rome and its unique history
Gino Coppedè began designing this district in 1915, commissioned by a private property company (the Società Anonima Edilizia Moderna) that wanted a prestigious residential complex. So it’s not a regime project, as you sometimes read: Coppedè’s eclectic, fairytale style predates fascism and is the fruit of his own historicist imagination, freely mixing eras and references.
And it is precisely from this freedom that the nods to antiquity spring: the great entrance arch, a true triumphal arch between two palaces, the travertine dear to the Romans, the “classical” mascarons, the mouldings and the stuccoes. Not impositions from above, but learned quotations in a play of styles.
Gino Coppedè personally designed most of the palaces, but sadly he never saw his work completed: he died in 1927 from post-operative complications.
So who finished his work?
After his death, the district was completed by his collaborator Paolo Emilio André, who respected its spirit down to the last detail.
What to see in the Coppedè district in Rome
When you move from the traffic of Viale Regina Margherita into the space where the buildings of the Coppedè district stand, you’ll feel you’ve entered another universe. More than a single monument, the Coppedè district will surprise you with the harmony of the whole.
There are, however, a few buildings and decorations you absolutely must notice.
Which ones?
At the centre of Piazza Mincio bubbles the delightful Fountain of the Frogs (1924), with a central basin and several smaller basins held up by shells, on which perch eight bronze frogs. It closely recalls the famous Fountain of the Turtles in the Ghetto, of which it’s almost a playful reworking.
But the buildings are the real treasure of the Coppedè district!
The finest are the Palazzo del Ragno (the “Spider Palace”), a celebration of work; the Villino delle Fate (the “Fairies’ Villa”), with decoration honouring Rome, Florence and Venice; and the Palazzi degli Ambasciatori (the “Ambassadors’ Palaces”), joined by the entrance arch that bears the Latin greeting “Ospes salve” (“welcome, guest”). Also striking is the great wrought-iron chandelier hanging under the arch, along with the ceiling decorations: you can’t miss them.
The Coppedè district still houses several embassies today and is a luxury residential area: I can assure you that property prices here are truly out of reach.
The Coppedè district and esotericism
Some have identified a series of symbolic meanings in the Coppedè district, linked in particular to a Masonic-style initiatory path.
The chandelier under the arch would be a symbol of light tied to Masonic practices, as would the various references to the Temple of Solomon. The dense symbolism easily lends itself to the most bizarre interpretations too.
For example?
The animals chosen for the decorations are undoubtedly significant: the spider and the bees, for instance, seem to point to work and to the building of perfect structures (just think of the web and the hive, which with their symmetry have always fascinated human beings). The frogs and the fairies, instead, would be creatures of passage between one world and another: earth and water, the real and the fantastic.
Is that all?
No, there are many other hidden symbols in the Coppedè district, but we’ll probably never know whether they were put there for a precise purpose or are the result of chance. What is certain is that Gino Coppedè’s imagination made this corner unique in the world, and certainly one of the most beautiful places to see in Rome.
The Coppedè district on film
With those atmospheres suspended between dream and nightmare, it’s no surprise the district attracted the cinema. Dario Argento shot some scenes here for two of his most famous films, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Inferno (1980): the fairytale architecture, delicate by day and almost grotesque by night, is perfect for his cinema of suspense.
And it’s even said that the Beatles, after a concert in Rome in 1965, took a nighttime dip in the Fountain of the Frogs: an anecdote no one has ever really confirmed, but one that fits the district’s quirky spirit perfectly.
Inside the buildings
Gino Coppedè really thought of everything: he even designed the interiors of the buildings, with a modern layout that separated the sleeping area from the living area. Remember that this was 1920, when many houses still consisted of a single room where people both lived and slept.
But there’s more!
The exterior decorations of the palaces continue inside too, with an original mix of Art Nouveau and Deco: finely worked stuccoes, mosaics and coffered ceilings. He didn’t even forget to build garages.
How to reach the Coppedè district
Reaching the Coppedè district from Termini or from any other part of Rome is very easy. Just take metro line B, get off at the Policlinico stop and walk a few minutes along Viale Regina Margherita away from the university; alternatively, there are trams 3 and 19.
The best time to arrive is the morning: the light is softer and shows off the splendid decorations. At night the district looks almost grotesque, but it’s very atmospheric!
Entry is of course free (it’s a public, open-air district). But if you really want to understand its symbols, I recommend a guided tour of Rome’s “hidden gems” that tells its story together with nearby Villa Torlonia and its fairytale Casina delle Civette.
So, are you ready to lose yourself among the fairies and mascarons of Rome’s most magical district?
