Barberini Palace Rome
National Gallery of Ancient Art in Barberini Palace
If you love art and architecture but hate crowds, then this is the place for you. Barberini Palace is not a big tourist attraction. I do not understand the reason for it, however I feel it is worth the visit to see the incredible architecture, trompe-l'œil ceilings, and hundreds of beautiful works of art. It’s easy to reach, is located just a stone's throw from the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and Piazza Barberini.
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- This is the outside gate of Palazzo Barberini when you walk inside
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- There’s a big garden before the palace that seperates the street from the building
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- A pretty fountain stands inside the garden of Bernini Palace
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- The Bernini’s family coat of arms with its three bees can be seen everywhere in the palace.
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- Piazza Barberini holds a fine collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings
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- Inside the Barberini Palace holds many famous Italian artists including Tintoretto, Andrea del Sarto, Fra Angelico, Titian
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- A head spitting water is part of the fountain you’ll see in the garden
Barberini Pope Urban VIIII instructed the construction in 1627 of a new palace, for residence for the family's new status. Carlo Maderno, who started the project incorporated in to the palazzo the original Villa Sforza. He worked on it until he passed away in 1629. Giovan Lorenzo Bernini assisted by Francesco Borromini finished in 1633 and the result is breathtaking. The family coat of arms with its three bees can be seen everywhere in the palace.
Barberini Palace Rome is now home to the prestigious National Gallery of Art (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica), a fine collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings. My humble opinion they are one of the most important painting collections in Italy.
I enjoyed comparing the two amazing 17th century staircases, a large square staircase by Bernini and an oval staircase by Borromini.
Barberini Palace holds many famous Italian artists including Tintoretto, Andrea del Sarto, Fra Angelico, Titian. Some of my favorite are Raphael's portrait La Fornarina, Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes and a Hans Holbein original portrait of Henry VIII at the age of 49. I was so amazed with the detail on Henry's attire.
It’s really an impressive collection of works of art, not just for the beauty but also where they are placed within the wonderful frescoed rooms.
Each room has cards explaining the meaning of the frescoes and the paintings. There are some low benches around so that you can sit and just take everything in.
In some of the rooms the focus are the ceilings. My favorite is by Pietro da Cortona, The Triumph of Divine Providence. I should warn you, be prepared to get a neck ache because the ceilings are truly breathtaking! If you wish you could take advantage of the long sofas they have in those rooms. You can lie down and really appreciate how amazing the artwork really is.
Hopefully you can visit Barberini Palace, it could go been done in an hour if you wanted to rush or take your time and spend about two hours here. It depends on your schedule and the pace you want to take. I would definitely recommend stopping in and seeing the Barberini Palace. Before leaving spend some time in the garden it is also worth a visit. There is a ponte ruinante (ruined bridge); Bernini designed it at the request of the owner.
