Alessandro Torlonia, 2nd Prince of Civitella-Cesi

Born January 1, 1800, his father was Giovanni Torlonia, 1st Prince of Civitella-Cesi, and his mother Anna Maria Chiaveri née Schulteiss, a widow who came from a family of southern German merchants from the city of Donaueschingen.

In the subsequent years 1832–42, Alessandro greatly expanded Villa Torlonia which had been started by his father in 1806, and he increased on the wealth primarily from acquiring the monopoly for salt and tobacco business in the Rome and Naples areas.

For this, Victor Emmanuel II of Italy offered Alessandro a special one-off gold medal and the title Prince of Fucino.

[citation needed] According to one account, sometime in the early 19th century a member of the Torlonia family became seriously ill and the Franciscan friars were asked to bring the Santo Bambino of Aracoeli to the sick bed.

Thereafter, Prince Alessandro used a carriage that belonged to Pope Leo XIII to spend his Thursdays bringing the image on "house calls" to the sick who were unable to get to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

Until the beginning of the 20th century a coach of Prince Torlonia stood ready day and night to bring the Bambino to the bedside of a sick person.