Gezicht op Ariccia 1665 - 1667

This is Giovanni Battista Falda’s print, *Gezicht op Ariccia*, made around 1670 in Rome, Italy. It depicts a bird's-eye view of Ariccia, a town not far from Rome. Falda was a printmaker who specialized in architectural views of Rome and its surroundings. His prints were popular souvenirs for tourists visiting the city during the Grand Tour era, but his works were more than simple mementos, offering insights into the urban planning and architectural projects undertaken by the papal government and wealthy noble families, such as the Chigi who owned Ariccia. This print celebrates the power and the glory of the Roman Catholic Church through the representation of landscape and architecture. By including details such as the Collegiata dell'Assunzione, a church designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Falda subtly communicates the influence of the Church on the social, political and cultural environment of seventeenth-century Italy. Examining archival documents and architectural plans from the period, a historian can shed light on the intentions behind the urban developments of Ariccia.