The Twilight of Rome's Papal Nobility: The Life of Agnese Borghese Boncompagni Ludovisi

Today, the Ludovisi district is one of Rome’s most luxurious neighborhoods, home to famous restaurants and some of the most expensive shops in the city. But it was once private property, part of an eighty-six-acre villa owned by the Boncompagni Ludovisis, an ancient noble family with close ties to the papacy. The story of how the palazzo fell out of the family's hands reveals the tremendous social upheavals that Italy underwent following its mid-nineteenth-century unification.
 
First privately published in 1921, The Twilight of Rome's Papal Nobility provides an intimate look at a family who grew up accustomed to almost unimaginable wealth, power, and glamour. A descendant of two popes, Ugo Boncompagni Ludovisi recounts the life story of his mother Agnese, who was raised in a palace full of priceless artwork, including pieces by Caravaggio and Michelangelo. We get a window into Agnese's private life—her girlhood, marriage, and raising of several children—as her public life becomes increasingly tumultuous amid the family’s struggles to retain its property. A tender elegy to a bygone era, Boncompagni Ludovisi's story provides a unique perspective on Italian history and Rome’s urban redevelopment.

UGO BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI (1856–1935) was the eldest son of Rodolfo Boncompagni Ludovisi and Agnese Borghese Boncompagni Ludovisi. A twice-widowed husband and father of five children, he was the founder of the Scacciadiavoli winery and progenitor of the current Boncompagni Ludovisi dynasty. Following the death of his second wife, he joined the priesthood and ultimately held the influential position of Vice Camerlengo at the Vatican.

CAROL COFONE is a translator and assistant director of the digital humanities project Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi.