Ippolito Caffi’s (1809-1866) city painting was made in the middle of the 1830s and thus belongs to Caffi’s early production. For tourists, highlights of a visit to Rome and Venice were moonlight walks where fantasy and reality, past and present became one, and of course the experience was made even more special when there were fireworks and celebrations in the streets. Caffi became a popular painter because he with quick brushstrokes understood how to capture the atmosphere and mood of landscapes and among the city’s houses. The painting is about a recurrent, nightly Roman event with many onlookers: June 29th every year Saint Peter and Saint Paul are celebrated with a spectacular fireworks show from Castel S. Angelo.
