A Lost Palace on Rome's Via del Corso

A view of the Column of M. Aurelius from within the former Palazzo Piombino, looking west toward Palazzo Wedekind. Palazzo Chigi—now the official residence of the Prime Minister of Italy—is at right.

Even though the Boncompagni Ludovisi maintained the massive Villa Ludovisi on the Pincian hill until the mid-1880s, this palace played a central role for the family, including baptisms in its chapel.

The Studio of Ignazio Boncompagni Ludovisi (1845-1913, Prince of Venosa after 1901), younger brother of the head of family Rodolfo; he resided in this Palazzo from 1884 through 1889.

Bedroom of the Prince of Venosa, Ignazio Boncompagni Ludovisi, located on the third floor of the Palazzo. He moved there in 1884 specifically to block its expropriation by the Comune of Rome.

Salon of Princess Teresa (née Marescotti) Boncompagni Ludovisi (1848-1928), who had married her husband Ignazio in 1868. He was almost certainly responsible for the photographic campaign seen here.

Head of the Boncompagni Ludovisi family from 1841 to his death was Prince Antonio (III) (1808-1883), who in 1829 married Guglielmina Massimo (1811-1899). This is her large salon on the first floor.

A second view of the salon of Guglielmina Boncompagni Ludovisi. Her husband Antonio had been exiled by Pope Pius IX in 1861 for his support of Italian unification, and he died in Milan in 1883.

Salottino in the large apartment of Guglielmina Boncompagni Ludovisi. The photos offer a remarkable glimpse into the private life of this noble family in the late 1880s, at the peak of its fortunes.

A room in the apartment of Guglielmina Boncompagni Ludovisi. Built in 1594, the Palazzo was rented by the Boncompagni Ludovisi starting in 1794, and then purchased from the Spada family in 1819.

The bedroom of Guglielmina Boncompagni Ludovisi. After the Palace was demolished in 1889, about 70 proposals emerged for redeveloping the site, including the creation of a central railway station.

Balcony attached to the apartment of Guglielmina Boncompagni Ludovisi. There was a quarter-century gap between destruction in 1889 and rebuilding according to the 'Galleria' project of Dario Carbone.