Portico e Cortile degli aranci - Fabbrica di San Michele

Interesting building, the orange garden, the portico, and the church with organ are very beautiful.

I'm adding it to Maps because it's one of the wonders (if not the greatest wonder) of the San Michele a Ripa Grande complex, the largest palace in Europe, originally built to house orphans and young people and prepare them for a profession, taking them off the streets through a school of arts and crafts, the so-called fabbrica. Built in several stages over the centuries, in 1708 the expansion of the complex towards the interior of Trastevere began, to build the building for the old people's home, a courtyard for services, a large church, the old women's home and at the same time raising all the structures, to create additional dormitories and drying rooms and to support the five buildings of the building. In later times, the Church dedicated to the Transfiguration (called the Great Church) was built in the Cortile dei Vecchi (1710) and other structures, including those for spinsters. The old men's courtyard was the second largest, featuring a beautiful garden with citrus trees and a large portico. Today, you can admire the decorated vaults of the Cloister of the Oranges, on the first floor of the portico surrounding the courtyard of the same name. They are a true masterpiece, the result of a very recent restoration. They consist of a series of 25 bays arranged in a horseshoe shape on the west, south, and east sides of the portico, opposite the church. The decorations were created from the late 19th to the early 20th century, and—you won't believe it—they were exams for students of the Academy of Art, which occupied this portion of the San Michele complex at the time. Many panels bear the names of their artists. You'll be captivated by the beauty of the courtyard and the exquisite craftsmanship of these stuccoes. It can be visited, along with the rest of the complex, through guided tours, despite being an institutional venue (access is rare, but it does exist; reservations are required). Need some help? Then leave a like and browse other reviews about Rome and beyond.