Vigne Franceschini:
four generation of history in the heart of Rome
It all began in the nineteenth century, when Ettore Franceschini built a fashion empire in Rome's most glamorous era.
His shop between Largo Goldoni and what is now Via del Corso was an unmissable destination for those who aspired to the allure of Parisian haute couture and impeccable English elegance, eager to be noticed in the most exclusive salons of the capital. The Franceschini name was synonymous with style and distinction.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Ettore, together with his son Cesare, carried the family name all the way to Paris, opening a new boutique in the most elegant city in Europe.
Yet it was far from the shop windows that Cesare found his true passion. Having inherited from his father a plot of land just south of the Vatican — between what is now Villa Doria Pamphilj and Via Gregorio VII — he discovered among the vineyards and abandoned farmhouses an eighteenth-century estate that captivated him at first sight. His wife Adriana loved it just as much.
Cesare and Adriana were people of the world, yet they had a profound love for nature. They restored the estate, transforming it into a haven of rural peace just steps from the centre of Rome. Within those walls they hosted parties and dances, played tennis and rode horses. The three-hectare property was home to elegant stables and an entire collection of vintage carriages — Cesare's greatest passion.
As Rome expanded, what had once been a countryside residence found itself absorbed into the urban fabric of the capital, becoming something even rarer: an oasis of luxury and nature in the heart of the city.
In 1947, Adriana and Cesare entrusted the design of the Italian garden — still today the jewel of the property — to their friend Marcello Piacentini, one of the most celebrated Italian architects of the twentieth century. Piacentini also oversaw the restoration of the estate, gifting it with the extraordinary staircase that remains its most beloved architectural symbol.
What makes Vigne Franceschini Resort truly unique lies behind an ancient iron gate: the catacombs of Vigna Pellegrini (Cimitero dei Due Felici), which once held the remains of Pope Felix II, a controversial figure in Church history dating back to 365 AD. A historical heritage so precious that the keys to the gate are entrusted to the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology of Vatican City.
Four generations. A century and an half of life, trasformation, and memory.
Vigne Franceschini Resort has raised a family and watched a capital city grow.
Today, as then, it remains a magical place: just steps from the centre of Rome, yet far from its clamour.
Not merely a luxury residence, but an authentic and living piece of the history of the Eternal City.
As the years passed, Ettore chose to hand the business over to Cesare.
Elegant and enterprising, Cesare moved naturally through drawing rooms and receptions, weaving relationships that further consolidated the family's prestige, living an intense life deeply immersed in the worldly vivacity of the time.