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.
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.
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Phone number: +39 06 32810, +39 06 4814591
Address: Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13, 00184, Rome
Hours: Closed on Monday – Open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8.30 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
The entrance is actually off Via delle Quattro Fontane, just a couple of minutes walk from Barberini metro station.
The entrance fee is 5 euros per person, a bargain in my opinion.
The ticket office is located on the Palace ground floor and closes one hour before gallery’s closing. You do need to check your bags and purses before entering, (costs 1 euro) and no photos or videos are allowed inside.
Barberini Palace is only around the corner 300 meters from Piazza Barberini where you will also find the Triton fountain.
Piazza Barberini is near Church Santa Maria della Concezione, which is on Via Veneto, 300 meters near Piazza Barberini. If you walk uphill to the top of Via Veneto, you are closer to the Roman walls, Villa Borghese park, Galleria Borghese and Bioparco di Roma (Zoo).
If you continue walking through the Villa Borghese park, you’ll reach the Pincio and Piazza del Popolo with it’s nearby attractions.
If you walk down Via del Tritone from Piazza Barberini and then make a left where you see the signs, you’ll hit Trevi fountain in around 10 minutes by walking. The Spanish steps are close as well.
