Remarkable palaces in Rome

After the beautiful palaces that host the prestigious museums of Rome such as the Capitoline Museums (Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo dei Conservatori, Palazzo Senatoria), the Borghese Gallery (in the Villa Borghese), the Vatican Museums (in the Apostolic Palaces including the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel), Rome has a myriad of palaces, here are the most prestigious according to us.

Farnese Palace

Farnese Palace

The Farnese Palace (Palazzo Farnese) is the seat of the French Embassy in Italy and one of the most remarkable and accomplished palaces in Rome, built in the middle of the Renaissance in the 16th century, whose work was followed after Da Sangallo by Michelangelo and Dalla Porta.
In addition to its exterior architectural ornaments such as the beautiful cornice and atrium, the interior is remarkable with its lounges, including the prestigious Hercules Salon with its tapestries and fireplaces, the Rooms of The Splendour of the Farnese, and the famous Carrache Gallery decorated with frescoes by the Carracci brothers, as The Loves of the Gods frescoe.
* Palazzo Farnese – Piazza Farnese, 67, 00186 Roma

Doria-Pamphilj Palace

Doria-Pamphilj Palace (Hall of Mirrors)

The prestigious Doria-Pamphilj Palace (Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj) dating from the 16th-18th centuries is one of the largest palaces in Rome and one of the most beautiful with its late Baroque style. It also houses the Doria-Pamphilj Gallery, a prestigious private museum that is like the palace still today owned by the historic family.
One can discover the chapel designed by Carlo Fontana, or the sumptuous hall of mirrors.
* Galleria Doria-Pamphilj – Via del Corso, 305, 00186 Roma

Colonna Palace

Colonna Palace (Mirror Gallery)

The Colonna Palace (Palazzo Colonna) is another of the most important palaces in Rome. It also hosts a prestigious private museum.
It was built and arranged with several wings over nearly five centuries, from the fourteenth century, passing from fortress to palace. The result is a variety of styles, both outside and inside. It became a famous baroque aristocratic residence for which worked to its embellishment great artists such as Bernini, del Grande, or Carlo Fontana. Its splendid Colonna Gallery is 76 meters long, the Fountain Room was decorated by Pinturicchio.
* Palazzo Colonna – Via della Pilotta, 17, 00187 Roma

Villa Farnesina

Villa Farnesina (Loggia di Psiche)

Built at the beginning of the 16th century for the wealthy banker Chigi on the Tiber side of Trastevere, Villa Farnesina is an emblematic Renaissance building. It was the prototype of the suburban Roman villa. It was owned by the Farnese in the 17th century.
This villa was famous for the prestigious receptions held there. but also because of the extraordinary frescoes that embellish it. Evoking ancient myths, they were painted primarily by Raphael and his school, but also by Peruzzi, Sebastiano del Piombo, Sodoma.
* Villa Farnesina, Via della Lungara, 230, 00165 Roma

Villa Medici

Villa Medici

Located on Mount Pincio north of the historic centre, the Villa Medici has hosted the French Academy in Rome since 1803 with its winning artists and temporary exhibitions.
It is a remarkable Renaissance ensemble of the sixteenth century, with in particular in front of the opulent rear facade an Italian garden and a large park of 7 hectares.
* Villa Medici, Viale della Trinità dei Monti, 1, 00187 Roma

Quirinal Palace

Quirinal Palace

Located at the top of the Quirinal hill on the square of the same name, the Quirinal Palace (Palazzo del Quirinale) is the official residence of the President of the Italian Republic. Originally a papal residence, it is one of the most important monuments in Rome from an artistic, historical and political point of view. With its 110,000 m², it is the sixth largest palace in the world. Its art collections are also remarkable (paintings, statues, tapestries, coaches, watchmaking, porcelain, etc.).
At the end of the 16th century, great Italian artists such as Domenico Fontana, Le Bernin and Carlo Maderno contributed to its construction.
* Palazzo del Quirinale, Piazza del Quirinale, 00187 Roma

Map with the palaces

Others interesting palaces

Palazzo Venezia

The Palazzo Venezia, located in Piazza Venezia, houses a beautiful museum devoted mainly to the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. This typical Renaissance building is one of the major 15th century palaces in Rome, with its austere appearance, its battlements and massive tower, but also beautiful lounges, apartments, the main staircase, etc.
* Palazzo di Venezia, Via del Plebiscito, 118, 00186 Roma

Spada Palace

The Spada Palace (Palazzo Spada) is a beautiful 16th-17th century palace in Rome, now home to the Council of State and the small museum of the Spada Gallery. One can see in particular in the courtyard a famous gallery built by Borromini. This one has the particularity of giving the illusion of being much larger thanks to a game of perspective.
* Palazzo Spada, Piazza Capo di Ferro, 13, 00186 Roma

Altemps Palace

The Altemps Palace (Palazzo Altemps) houses an important section of the National Roman Museum dedicated to ancient sculptures.
It is a beautiful aristocratic palace built from the end of the 15th century, with a pretty corner tower serving as a belvedere, with an elegant interior courtyard in the Renaissance style, a loggia decorated with frescoes, or the small private baroque chapel of the seventeenth.
* Palazzo Altemps, Piazza di Sant’Apollinare, 46, 00186 Roma

Palace of the Chancellery

The Leonardo da Vinci Museum can be accessed from the courtyard of the Palace of the Chancellery (Palazzo della Cancelleria). This remarkable building of Renaissance style has a beautiful interior courtyard that would have been designed by Bramante by using vestiges of the theater of Pompey and the Colosseum, a loggia, a fresco by Vasari. It encompasses the former church of St. Lawrence of Damascus. This palace is owned by the Vatican where the Vatican Chancellery is located.
* Palazzo della Cancelleria, Piazza della Cancelleria, 1, 00186 Roma

Montecitorio Palace

Currently the seat of the Italian parliament, the Montecitorio Palace (Palazzo di Montecitorio) has a pretty 17th century on the homonymous square, and a 20th century extension on the back to accommodate the new hemicycle. The luxurious interior is decorated with precious furniture and antique or contemporary works.
* Palazzo di Montecitorio, Piazza di Monte Citorio, 00186 Roma

Mattei di Giove Palace and Mattei Islet

The Mattei islet is a complex of palaces of the historic Roman Mattei family located on the edge of the historic ghetto. The Mattei di Giove Palace (Palazzo Mattei) was built in the early 17th century. You will discover the beautiful staircase and its two courtyards, where there are many antique ornaments and busts of emperors.
* Palazzo di Mattei di Giove, Via Michelangelo Caetani, 32, 00186 Roma

Sapienza Palace

The Sapienza Palace (Palazzo della Sapienza) is a public building, which was the seat of the University of Rome for several centuries. It has a beautiful courtyard overlooking the church of Sant’ Ivo alla Sapienza built in the 17th century by Borromini. It is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, with its peculiar shape, dome and bold lantern.
* Palazzo della Sapienza, Corso del Rinascimento, 40, 00186 Roma

Barberine Palace

The Barberine Palace (Palazzo Barberini) houses a section of the National Museum of Ancient Art, rich in Renaissance works.
It is in the beautiful 17th century palace designed by Carlo Maderno and Francesco Borromini, with beautiful rooms, frescoes, or a spiral staircase.
* Palazzo Barberini, Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13, 00184 Roma

Braschi Palace

The Braschi Palace (Palazzo Braschi) houses the Museum of Rome, built at the end of the 18th century. It has in particular a majestic staircase of honor, decorated with antique statues, stucco, and columns of red granite.
* Palazzo Braschi, Piazza di San Pantaleo, 10, Piazza Navona, 2, 00186 Roma

Corsini Palace

The beautiful Corsini Palace (Palazzo Corsini), located on the Trastevere side, dates from the 16th-18th centuries. It houses the other section of the Museum of Ancient Art. Its garden is part of the Botanical Garden.
* Palazzo Corsini, Via della Lungara, 10, 00165 Roma

Villa Giulia

Villa Giulia, home to the National Etruscan Museum, is a Renaissance building built in the 16th century for Pope Julius III. Intended for the resort, it was designed by the masters of the time, with Vasari, Michelangelo and Vignola. It has a beautiful semicircular courtyard, loggias, a nymphaeum decorated with Roman mosaics, or ornamental frescoes typical of the sixteenth century.
* Villa Giulia, Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9, 00196 Roma

Primoli Palace

The pretty Primoli Palace (Palazzo Primoli) houses the Napoleonic Museum and dates from the 16th century. It was owned by the husband of Charlotte Bonaparte. It was greatly overhauled in the early twentieth century, with beautiful corner bodies, beautiful entrances with columns, painted ceilings, etc.
* Palazzo Primoli, Via Giuseppe Zanardelli, 1, 00186 Roma

Palace of Justice

Seat of the Supreme Court of Cassation, and legal institutions, the Palace of Justice (Palazzo di Giustizia) is a huge massive monument built – somehow – around the beginning of the 20th century in a marshy area. It is popularly called “palazzaccio” (dirty palace in english), due to the suspicion of corruption related to architectural excesses, its unusual dimensions and excessive decorations.
* Corte Suprema di Cassazione, Piazza Cavour, 00193 Roma

Borghese Palace

The vast Borghese Palace (Palazzo Borghese), is due to its irregular shape nicknamed «il cimbalo Borghese», the typewriter Borghese. It is a huge complex inherited from the wealth of the powerful Borghese family, usually closed to the public.
* Palazzo Borghese, Piazza Borghese, 9, 00186 Roma

Informations and map

Sources and links

• Official websites : Farnese Palace, Villa Medici, Quirinal Palace, Doria-Pamphilj Palace, Colonna Palace, and Villa Farnesina
• Wikipedia pages : Farnese Palace, Villa Medici, Quirinal Palace, Pamphilj Palace, Colonna Palace, Villa Farnesina

Map