Summer in Rome can be suffocating...High temperature, warm western wind (ponente) which doesn't bring relief but makes heat even less tolerable, numerous tourists flocking around historic monuments and heritage which bear witness to past civilizations and empires.

HERITAGE OF ODESCALCHI IN SREM WINE REGION

 If we talk about Srem/Srijem, then we inevitably touch the history of aristocratic family Odescalchi. Following the expulsion of the Turks, the Vienna Imperial Court rewarded the Odescalchi family with a property which included a large portion of Srem. Their newly acquired estate included Upper Srem area centered around the town of Ilok (present-day Croatia) and Lower Srem area centered around the town of Irig (present-day Serbia). Duke Livio Odescalchi (1652-1713) and his descendants are largely responsible for development of winemaking tradition in Srem/Srijem. In Ilok, he modernized the old cellar from the 15^th century. In the early 18^th century, the Odescalchi family expanded vineyards in Ilok and constructed a new winery next to the existing old cellar. Historic records also indicate that the Odescalchi family established in 1826 the first winery in Erdevik (Serbia). The legacy of Odescalchi still survives on both sides of the border, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Erdevik Winery from the village of Erdevik placed a detail from Odescalchi coat-of-arms on their wine labels. The border line between Serbia and Croatia runs along Principovac estate in Croatia where the Odescalchi family planted for the first time Traminac (Gewürztraminer) introduced from Alto Adige. Nowadays, Principovac Estate on the Croatian side is owned by Iločki Podrumi (Ilok Cellars) and beside vineyards, the estate also includes a renovated castle (built in 1864 as summer mansion of the Odescalchi) that offers great facilities for wine tourism.

HERITAGE OF ODESCALCHI IN ROME

In the city center, close to Altare della Patria, located between Via del Corso and Piazza Santi Apostoli, there is a baroque palace of Odescalchi. A huge building, which has undergone changes in the meantime, testifies to the significance and influence of the Odescalchi family, influential bankers from Rome. There are written sources from the 16th century that testify that this building originally belonged to the Roman noble family Colonna, and that Livio Odescalchi rented the building in 1693 to accommodate an impressive art collection containing also paintings from the Swedish Queen Christina's collection purchased in 1692 . After the death of Livio Odescalchi, his successor Baldassare Erba Odescalchi gradually sold parts of the collection.

In 1745, the palace was acquired by Odescalchi family. The building was expanded then primarily in the section of inner courtyard, but changes to the exterior of the building and the facade did not spoil original architectural expression defined by famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century. In the 19th century, after a sudden fire that significantly damaged the building, a new facade was created from the back of the building (towards Via del Corso), which reflects the style of the Medici Ricarda Palace in Florence.

The palace is still owned by the Odescalchi family and contains a large collection of works of art, among which is the famous Caravaggio's painting The conversion of St. Paul. On the front and back of the facade is the coat of arms of the Odescalchi family, which features the symbols of lion, eagle and 6 censers.

Therefore, if  journey takes you to Rome, do not miss out on seeing this Baroque palace that represents the heritage of the Odescalchi family because they preserved continuity of wine tradition of Srem region and Fruška Gora. They also represent an important part of wine history in the Balkans.

Address: Piazza Santi Apostoli, Rome

 

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