The palace

This tour offers not only the chance to visit one of the richest galleries of Italian masterpieces, but also to admire the beauty of the building which houses it: the Majestic Palazzo Barberini. The building, commissioned in 1623 by Urban VIII Barberini shortly after being elected to the papal throne, will be the first of a long list of building projects that elevate this Pope to the role of one of the great protagonists of the 17th century.

Roman Baroque

In this palace worked some of the most important personalities of the Roman Baroque period: Pietro da Cortona, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini. Their intention was to create a building which united two purposes and ideas: a residence to represent the pope and his family and a comfortable suburban villa. The result is amazing; salons rich in frescoes, facades that harmonise with the surrounding greenery and staircases that sculpt the space creating unexpected and enveloping vistas

Collections and masterpiecese

The collections conserved inside number 1500 paintings and more than 2000 objects of decorative art, with the important nucleus of the collection undoubtedly being the paintings of the 16th and 17th century, these paintings are certainly the jewels in the crown of the gallery. Among the masterpieces we can include paintings by Lotto, Tintoretto, Bronzino, El Greco, as well as iconic pieces such as: Madonna di Tarquinia by Filippo Lippi, the famous Fornarina by Rafael and Judith who cuts the head of Oloferne by Caravaggio, just to name a few. The paintings of the 18th century are divided by their ‘school’, which helps us to understand the succession of artistic movements and styles that are still able to amaze and excite.