This lecture is part of the City of Rome programme, an intensive eight-week residential course coordinated by Dr. Christopher Stephen Siwicki, designed for postgraduates from selected British partner universities. The programme is aimed at students at the Master’s or early Doctoral level studying classical archaeology, art history, ancient history, and the transformation of antiquity in the Middle Ages and modern period.

Simulacrum Molis Hadriani. Interpreting the Mausoleum of Hadrian in High Renaissance

With the revival of Rome following the turbulent 14th century, numerous humanists, architects, and artists visited the city and study its antiquities. Among them was Cyriacus of Ancona, whose reconstruction of the Mausoleum of Hadrian remains the only known graphic record of his visit. During a period marked by significant structural changes to Castel Sant’Angelo, several drawings were produced, offering a unique visual documentation of the monument.

This lecture will examine the most significant graphic records of the Mausoleum from the 15th and 16th centuries, aiming to determine their value in deepening our understanding of the imperial project. Additionally, it will present the latest discoveries from recent research campaigns.

Paolo Vitti is a professor and practicing architect. His book on Roman Construction in the Peloponnese received two major awards. His research on Ancient and Medieval architecture covers topics related to several notable buildings as the lighthouse of Alexandria, the funeral architecture in archaic Salamis of Cyprus, the fortification of Paestum (Italy), Hadrian’s architecture in Athens, the western Islam minarets and the Almoravide qubba in Marrakech, and Roccabruna (Hadrian’s Villa). He is currently working on his next monograph on his research on the Mausoleum of Hadrian/Castel Sant’Angelo.

See the full programme of City of Rome here.