Palazzo Barberini

Welcome to the Palazzo Barberini, one of Rome's most magnificent noble residences and a shining example of seventeenth-century Baroque architecture. We stand before a palace built not just for comfort, but to project power,…

As we stand in the central courtyard, consider the incredible collaboration that occurred here. Carlo Maderno, the architect of the facade of St. …

Now, we turn to one of the most celebrated features of the palace: the spiral staircase designed by Francesco Borromini. While Bernini designed the grand square staircase on the other side of the building, Borromini’s helicoidal…

We enter the Great Hall, or the Salone, and the world above us explodes into color. This is the 'Triumph of Divine Providence,' a vast fresco painted by Pietro da Cortona between sixteen thirty-two and sixteen thirty-nine. …

In the intimate galleries of the palace, we find one of the world's most mysterious and beautiful portraits: Raphael’s 'La Fornarina'. Painted in the early sixteenth century, it is believed to depict Margherita Luti, the baker’s…

We move from the grace of Raphael to the raw, visceral drama of Caravaggio. His 'Judith Beheading Holofernes,' painted around fifteen ninety-nine, is one of the museum's most striking highlights. …

As we walk through the upper floors, we are continually reminded of the man who made all of this possible: Pope Urban the Eighth. Maffeo Barberini was a poet, a scholar, and a ruthless politician. …

Our exploration of the Palazzo Barberini concludes here, amidst the echoes of one of Rome's most powerful families. We have walked through the massive halls of Maderno, climbed the ingenious spiral of Borromini, and marveled at…