Both Vasi and Nolli use the spelling Perfetti instead of the modern Prefetti suggesting that the derivation of the name springs from that of a Roman noble family by that name. This challenges the common belief that Prefetti derived from the De Vico family who were hereditary prefects (prefetti) of Rome in the medieval period. The space in the foreground extending as far as S. Niccolò (2) was known as Piazza di Campo Marzio (NN 438), a reference to the rione to which it belongs. It is now part of Via dei Prefetti, while the piazza name has been transferred to another space next to the church of S.M. in Campo Marzio not far from here. Across from thes early Renaissance Palazzo Conobili (5) the 16th century Palazzo Pallavicini (1) on the right has the unusual feature of the main door being at a corner of the facade rather than at its center. This is due to the position of its courtyard which is off center to the left. The medieval church of S. Niccolò received the Baroque facade we see in the print in the 1670s. At the end of that block Vasi indicates a vicolo (4) (narrow street) "leading to the church of SS. Biagio e Cecilia" now named Vicolo del Divino Amore. Palazzo Firenze named as such by Nolli, is referred to as Palazzo Medici (3) by Vasi, a reference to the ruling family of Florence (and all of Tuscany) at the time.
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