transported into real scenes. The palace Albani, the situation of which
is remarkably fine, possesses a valuable library, a great number of
paintings, and a collection of designs by Caracci, Polidoro, Lanfranco,
Spagnoletto, Cignani, and others. The palace Altieri, one of the largest
in Rome, is in a simple style of architecture, and contains rare
manuscripts, medals, paintings, etc., and valuable furniture. In the
palace Colonna there is a rich collection of paintings by the first
masters; all the rooms are decorated with them, and particularly the
gallery, which is one of the finest in Europe. In the gardens are the
ruins of the baths of Constantine and those of the temple of Sol. The
Aldobrandini palace contains the proudest monument of ancient
painting--the Aldobrandine Wedding, a fresco purchased by Pius VII., in
1818, in which the design is admirable. The great Farnese palace, begun
from the designs of Sangallo, and completed under the direction of
Michael Angelo, is celebrated both for its beauty and its treasures of
art. The Caracci and Domenichino have immortalized themselves by their
frescos in its gallery. The Farnese Hercules, the masterly Flora, and
the urn of Cæcilia Metella, formerly adorned the court; and in the
palace itself was the beautiful group of the Farnese bull. But when the
king of Naples inherited the Farnese estate, these statues, with other
works of art, were carried to Naples, where they now adorn the palace
degli Studi. Not far off is the palace Corsini, where queen Christina
lived and died in 1689. It contains a valuable library and gallery. The
palace Giustiniani also had a gallery adorned with numerous valuable
statues and works of sculpture; its principal ornaments were the
celebrated statue of Minerva, the finest of that goddess now known, and
the bas-relief of Amalthæa suckling Jupiter. These treasures were
nominally bought by Napoleon, and are now in Paris. The paintings are
chiefly in the possession of the king of Prussia. In the palace Spada is
the statue of Pompey, at the foot of which Cæsar fell under the daggers