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, a direct descendant of Pope Gregory XIII, and Agnese Borghese Boncompagni Ludovisi. The progenitor of the Boncompagni Ludovisi dynasty, Ugo would become a priest and hold the position of Vice Camerlengo at the Vatican until his death.

CAROL COFONE is a writer/researcher and assistant director of the Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi. She has contributed to a wide array of research projects, most recently, Rutgers, Then and Now: Two Centuries of Campus Development (Rutgers University Press, forthcoming) and Route 66, Revisited.

T. COREY BRENNAN is a professor of classics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. He is the author of several books, including ​The Fasces: A Global History of Ancient Rome’s Most Dangerous Political Symbol. In 2012 Brennan co-founded the Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi, a web-based art and archival project, which he continues to direct.

HSH PRINCESS RITA BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI is the widow of Prince Nicolò Boncompagni Ludovisi of Piombino and an American actress and real estate executive. She is the co-founder of the Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi and co-author (with T. Corey Brennan) of the forthcoming Villa Ludovisi: A Memoir.