Via delle Botteghe Oscure is a short, broad street in the historical center of Rome, connecting Largo di Torre Argentina with the Capitol. Its name bears witness to the ancient presence of several dark workshops, whose foundations can still be seen in the deeper layers of the street's thick palimpsest. The learned tourists know that the street is culturally significant for at least three reasons: the Crypta Balbi, a branch of the National Museum, showing the structures of a Roman theater, some medieval houses, a Renaissance nunnery, and an eighteenth-century church; the reddish façade of the palace that, for over 40 years, was the head office of the Italian Communist Party; and the imposing Palazzo Caetani, built between 1554 and 1570 for the noble family Mattei and later purchased by the Caetani as their major Roman residence.
The Caetani were one of the most distinguished families in Rome, especially...