Vanishing Rome: Weighing the Losses After the Flood of 1870

Chung, Taylor James

Item

Vanishing Rome: Weighing the Losses After the Flood of 1870

Chung, Taylor James

Abstract

Following the Unification of Italy and the rededication of Rome as Capital, a major floodinundated the city at the end 1870. As a reaction to these aligning events, major transformationsto the city’s infrastructure soon followed, especially to the Tiber as a direct result of controllingits recurring floods. As a reaction these transformations taking place in Rome, the watercoloristEttore Roesler Franz began a series of one hundred and twenty watercolors, called Roma Sparita,capturing picturesque views of urban and suburban Rome before its complete modernization.Through the work of Ettore Roesler Franz in this series this research investigates thehistoriography of Rome along the Tiber river before and after these public works projects tounderstand how these changes occurred, why it was necessary, and what effect it had on thememory of the past, identity, and heritage of its people. It is through such formal analysis ofphotographic evidence, Franz’s paintings, and historical records, that we may corroborate theintentions of the ruling government to protect the city and its people from floods by transformingthe Tiber, and thus, many historical Roman structures. There remains a general consensus thatFranz’s work constitutes as a historical record of medieval Rome before its modernization.However, this research found the ‘staging’ of his watercolor vistas as less a historical record andmore ‘his’ memories of Rome; and as such, his urban landscapes were often misleadinglyinaccurate to justify fashioning a more ‘picturesque’ and scenic Rome.