This view depicts a medieval house in Rome’s Ghetto, leaning against the remains of the Portico d’Ottavia. The house was spared from the demolitions at the end of the 19th century and still stands today.

Ettore Roesler Franz devoted much of his work to capturing corners and views of the Roman Jewish Ghetto that were disappearing under the drastic urban “renewal.” Thanks to his watercolors and photographs, we can still see today certain aspects of the Ghetto, animated by figures engaged in humble activities, that reflect the reality of Rome at the end of the century.

It can be said that Roesler Franz dedicated his life to documenting, through his watercolors and his art, the rapid transformations taking place in Rome and the surrounding countryside. His celebrated series of watercolors depicting Rome, the so-called Roma Sparita (“Vanished Rome”), comprises 120 views now preserved at the Museo di Roma.