The Story of 4 Coronati

Our hotel is your perfect starting point to immerse into the magic atmosphere of Rome and the wealth of ancient Roman civilisation art. Starting from the hotel location itself!

Until the late XIX century (1870), the area where our hotel is located was occupied by the prestigious Villa Campana al Celio. While the top of the hill was dominated by the majestic complex of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the building which is currently hosting the hotel constituted the core of a magnificent Villa bordering the Basilica of the Four Crowned Martyrs, one of the very first churches in the history of Rome (its origins date back to the IV century).

Villa Campana was owned by the Marquese Giampietro Campana, which can be considered as one of the most important art collectors in the world in the history. The Villa was hosting an unrivalled amount of magnificent works of art, which could have matched the Louvre in Paris or the British Museum.

But Campana was an insatiable collector, and to satisfy his hunger he began to draw funds from the “Mount of Piety”, the charity bank he was directing. When discovered, he was already exposed for an irrecoverable amount and he was condemned in 1854 to twenty years of incarceration. His incredible collection was bought by the russian Zar (for the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg) and by Napoleon III.

The magnificent Villa Campana was dismantled in 1870, during the large urbanisation programme launched after Rome was designated as capital of the newly born Italian Kingdom.

I am curious to know more about Campana…

Be sure you’ll have fun with the best excursions, amazing events and fascinating tours here!