The House of Aldobrandini is an Italian noble family originally from

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, where in the Middle Ages they held the most important municipal offices. Now the Aldobrandini are resident in Rome, with close ties to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

History

Their Roman fortunes were made when Ippolito Aldobrandini became pope under the name

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

. He arranged the marriage that linked the Aldobrandini with the Roman family of Pamphili. They were also linked to marriage alliances with the Farnese ( Ranuccio I, duke of Parma, had married

Margherita Aldobrandini Margherita Aldobrandini (29 March 1588 — 9 August 1646), was an Italian noblewoman member of the Aldobrandini family and by marriage Duchess consort of Parma and Piacenza during 1600–1622. She was also Regent of both Duchies during 1626–162 ...

) and

Borghese The House of Borghese ( , ) is a family of Italian noble and papal background, originating as the Borghese or Borghesi in Siena, where they came to prominence in the 13th century and held offices under the '' commune''. During the 16th century, t ...

(since

Olimpia Aldobrandini Olimpia Aldobrandini (20 April 1623 – 18 December 1681) was rich and powerfull Italian nobility, Italian noblewoman. By birth, she was member of an old and influential Aldobrandini family of Rome, and the sole heiress to the great family fort ...

married Paolo Borghese). The family also lends its name to the Palazzo Aldobrandini on the

Quirinal Hill The Quirinal Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills of Rome, at the north-east of the city center. It is the location of the official residence of the Italian head of state, who resides in the Quirinal Palace; by metonymy "the Quirinal" has c ...

. The Aldobrandini family, having reached the height of its powers when Ippolito Aldobrandini became

(1592–1605), began the building of the villa. In 1600,

acquired the Orti Vitelli on the Quirinal hill, and in 1601, donated the property to his

Cardinal-nephew A cardinal-nephew (; ; ; ; )Signorotto and Visceglia, 2002, p. 114. Modern French scholarly literature uses the term "cardinal-neveu'". was a Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal elevated by a pope who was that cardinal's relative. The practice of c ...

Pietro Aldobrandini Pietro Aldobrandini (31 March 1571 – 10 February 1621) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal and patron of the arts. Biography Pietro Aldobrandini was a cousin of Cardinal Cinzio Aldobrandini, and uncle of Cardinals Silvestro a ...

. The old buildings of the Vitelli Family were demolished and construction began on the new villa and adjacent garden. The villa was never the family seat as the Aldobrandini family owned even more splendid residences elsewhere in Rome. The villa on the Quirinal hill served essentially for ceremonial functions. Papst Clemens VIII Italian 17th century

More famous was the Villa Aldobrandini in

Frascati Frascati () is a city and in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital in the Lazio region of central Italy. It is located south-east of Rome, on the Alban Hills close to the ancient city of Tusculum. Frascati is closely associated with science, ...

. Also known as Belvedere for its charming location overlooking the whole valley up to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, it was rebuilt on the order of Cardinal

over a pre-existing edifice built by the Vatican prelate Alessandro Rufini in 1550. The villa, aligned with the cathedral down its axial avenue that is continued through the town as Viale Catone, was rebuilt in the current form by

Giacomo della Porta Giacomo della Porta (1533–1602) was an Italian architect and sculptor. Most likely born in Genoa or Porlezza, Italy, his work was inspired by famous Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He started in his car ...

from 1598 to 1602, and then completed by

Carlo Maderno Carlo Maderno or Maderna (1556 – 31 January 1629) was an Italian architect, born in today's Ticino, Switzerland, who is remembered as one of the fathers of Baroque architecture. His façades of Santa Susanna, St. Peter's Basilica, and Sant ...

and Giovanni Fontana. The villa has an imposing 17th-century façade and some other interesting architectural and environmental features, such as the double gallery order on the rear façade, the spiral-shaped flights, the large exedra of the Water Theatre and the magnificent park. Inside there are paintings of

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

artists such as the Zuccari brothers, Cavalier D'Arpino and

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoe ...

. Outside there is a monumental gate by Carlo Francesco Bizzaccheri (early 18th century). The Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families have become united through marriage and descent under the simplified surname Doria Pamphilj (which is now extinct since the death of Princess Orietta Doria Pamphlij in 2000). The Aldobrandini family palazzo and its collections of works of art and furnishings is now the

Doria Pamphilj Gallery The Galleria Doria Pamphilj (often Doria Pamphilj Gallery or Doria Pamphili Gallery in English) is a large private art collection housed in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, between Via del Corso and Via della Gatta. The principal entr ...

in Rome. The family name lives on, however, via a branch of the Borghese family, descended from the marriage of

with Prince Paolo Borghese in the 17th century. This line is descended from Don Camillo Borghese, Prince Aldobrandini (1816–1902), a leading member of the ''

soi-disant Self-proclaimed describes a legal title that is recognized by the declaring person but not necessarily by any recognized legal authority. It can be the status of a noble title or the status of a nation. The term is used informally for anyone declar ...

Black Nobility The black nobility or black aristocracy () are Roman aristocratic families who sided with the Papacy under Pope Pius IX after the Savoy family-led army of the Kingdom of Italy entered Rome on 20 September 1870, overthrew the pope and the Papal ...

, who in turn was the younger brother of the then Prince Borghese and head of that family. Princess Olimpia Anna Aldobrandini, also a non-lineal descendant of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

on her mother's side, married into the

Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...

. The Head of the family today is Prince Camillo Aldobrandini (b. 1945), whose heir is Don Clemente Aldobrandini (b. 1982).

Other notable members of the Aldobrandini family

*Alessandro Cardinal Aldobrandini (1667–1734), raised to the cardinalate 1730. * Bonifazio Bevilacqua Aldobrandini * Ippolito Cardinal Aldobrandini (Jr.) * Silvestro Cardinal Aldobrandini * Cinzio Passeri Cardinal Aldobrandini, a

of Clement VIII, raised to the cardinalate 1593. * Pietro Cardinal Aldobrandini (1571–1621), raised to the cardinalate 1593 by Clement VIII.Catholic Hierarchy: "Pietro Cardinal Aldobrandini"
/ref>

Sources

Original 1922 Almanach de Gotha (edited by Justice Perthes) entry for the Borghese family (of which the Aldobrandini are a branch – see bottom of p288)
link to the original universally-recognised genealogical reference document, with details of family honours

References

{{Authority control Italian nobility Papal families

History

Other notable members of the Aldobrandini family

Sources

See also

References