ABSTRACT
Rome, Carnival was celebrated by each quarter or rione of the city, as well as by ruling bodies and powerful individuals who commissioned events or lavishly decorated their residences, well situated to grant them the best view of proceedings focused on or around the via del Corso. In the broader European context, the constantly shifting political landscape of the papal court meant the redrawing of allegiances across Europe and the necessity for European powers to maintain a permanent presence in Rome in order to secure and maintain papal support. If Piazza Navona was a sought-after stage for the Spanish nation in Rome, it is not surprising that it proved equally attractive a location to various rival papal families. Foreign nations that had previously needed to campaign and compete for papal support in Rome, now paid it little more than lip-service, and became more arrogant and aggressive in the assertion of their national interests.
