Exterior view

Between 1646 and 1649 Borromini extended a mid-sixteenth-century front from seven to eleven bays. He framed the fa�ade with huge herms ending in falcons’ heads, an emblematic conceit which had no precedent. He added new wings on the rear facing the river and provided decoration for porch and vestibule. But his most signal contribution is the twelve ceilings with their elaborate ornament, and, overlooking the courtyard, the Palladian loggia. The U-shaped river front, dominated by the loggia, gives proof of the versatility of Borromini.

The photo shows the front facing Via Giulia.