l remains, but curious; and very pretty view of
the Tiber and Temple of Vesta. To the Villa Lanti, a delicious
villa belonging to Prince Borghese, who never goes there, and
will neither let nor lend it. One of the finest views of Rome is
from the terrace, and Julio Romano's frescoes adorn the ceilings.
When Raphael was painting the Vatican, he and Julio Romano used
to retire every night to the Villa Lanti, and the ceilings are
covered with frescoes painted by both of them. Just below is a
terrace, and on it a beautiful tree called Tasso's Oak, because
under it he used to sit and compose when he lived in the Convent
of San Onofrio, which is close by, and where he died. This
convent is remarkably clean, airy, and spacious. In the library
is a bust of Tasso, a mask taken from his face just after he
died; in the chapel his tomb.

And Tasso is their glory--
Hark to his strain and then survey his cell.
BYRON.

In the cloister are some frescoes of the universal Domenichino. I
like the Convent of San Onofrio. To Santa Maria in Trastevere, a
very fine church; splendid ceiling with a Domenichino in the
middle. Immense granite columns of various orders taken from God
knows what temples, and mosaic floor rich to a degree. Large
pieces of porphyry and verd antique eternally trodden by the
Trasteverine mob, and never even cleaned. It is a basilica, and
at the end is an ancient stone chair, which, was evidently the
old justice-seat, though they of the Church do not know it.

April 14th, 1830 {p.329}

Set off early to make up an arrear of churches. First to Santa
Maria sopra Minerva, and lit upon the funeral of a cardinal
(Bertazzoli), which I was obliged to see instead of Michael
Angelo's Christ. All the cardinals attended; the church hung with
black and gold; guards, tapers, mob, &c. Then to the SS.
Apostoli, Araceli (built where the Citadel stood, and is a
corruption of Arx, but with a legend); a curious church enough,
with some fine frescoes of Pintoriccio, and the Chapel of the
Virgin with hundreds of ex voto's hang round it, almost all
wretched daubs of pictures, and principally representing
accidents in gigs, carriages, or carts, broken heads or limbs. To
Santa Anastasia, Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Santa Sabina. Santa
Maria in Cosmedin, or the Bocca della Verita, built in and on the
ruins of an old temple (di Pudicizia), is one of the best worth
s