This Palazzo has been on our bucket list for many years. This time, we actually made time to visit, and we were glad that we did. The palace was stunning. It is a private mansion right in the heart of Rome on the Via del Corso near the Piazza Venezia. When you look at it from the exterior, you realize how large it really is - it takes up a whole city block; and, the family still resides in the palace.
We did make a mistake the day we were there - we did not realize that the ticket we bought covered both the museum and the apartments, and the apartments are only shown at specific times (which were not open that day). So, they said that we could come back another day to view the apartments, which we did.
We were able to walk thru at our own pace. They do have free audio guides in various languages, and there is an elevator if you do not want to take the stairs. There are four wings in the palace with a central courtyard. You will be stunned upon entering the first room - the Velvet Room with its rich reds and gold and covered with paintings from floor to ceiling. The palace has extremely valuable works of art by some of the great masters: Raphael, Tiziano, Caravaggio, Brueghel the Elder, Velazquez and Bernini.
The Gallery of Mirrors will take your breath away. It was modeled after the namesake room in Versailles. The mirrors were imported from France and when the light comes through the windows from the outside, you really appreciate it.
The chapel is also worth a good look. It was designed in the late seventeenth century by Carlo Fontana. The chapel contains some interesting relics: the completely preserved body of St. Theodora and, supposedly, relics of one the soldiers who guarded Jesus during his crucifixion.
The last room we entered was really interesting. It was called the Aldobrandini room - sort of an off room - that looks like a massive warehouse. It seems that years ago, there had been a massive blizzard that crushed the roof of the room. The walls were then concreted and remain so. It's unpainted and quite plain compared to the rest of the palace. This room is filled with a mishmash of paintings and garden statues. Make sure you do not miss the two Caravaggio's - one is "Magdalene" and the other," Rest on the Flight into Egypt."
We did go back to see the apartments. They certainly were opulent with beautiful paintings, chandeliers, sculptures and magnificent ceiling decorations. Each room was stunning! The Throne Room is named for the throne which, following an old Roman tradition faces the wall when there is no papal visit. We were able to see the rooms that are currently being used by the family.
We found interesting that the Cardinal/Pope had a stipulation in his original will that none of the artwork could ever be sold. They all had to remain in the family, which must create a hardship today for the family. We can only imagine what the upkeep costs must be. read more