Palazzo Farnese

Welcome to the Piazza Farnese, dominated by what is widely considered the most magnificent Renaissance palace in Rome. Palazzo Farnese was built as a physical manifestation of the rising power and ambition of the Farnese family,…

The facade of Palazzo Farnese is a lesson in High Renaissance architectural theory. It was primarily designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, who envisioned a sober, powerful exterior that emphasized the horizontal layers of…

Passing through the main entrance, you enter the central courtyard, one of the most harmonious spaces in all of Rome. Sangallo designed the lower two levels of the arcade, using the 'Doric' and 'Ionic' orders of columns, which he…

We now enter the most famous room in the palace: the Carracci Gallery. This long, vaulted room was decorated between 1597 and 1608 by Annibale Carracci and his brother Agostino. …

The palace ballroom is a space of staggering scale, designed to impress heads of state and visiting dignitaries. The first thing that draws the eye is the magnificent wooden ceiling, carved with intricate geometric patterns and…

Palazzo Farnese is not just a relic of the past; it houses a world-class research library. Since the palace became the home of the French School of Rome in the nineteenth century, it has served as a hub for archaeologists,…

If you walk through the palace toward the back, you will find a hidden architectural gem: the bridge over Via Giulia. Michelangelo had a grand plan to connect Palazzo Farnese with the Villa Farnesina on the other side of the…

As we conclude our visit to Palazzo Farnese, take a final look at the Farnese lily, the heraldic symbol that appears on nearly every surface of this building. We have seen how a single family used architecture to announce their…

As we conclude our visit to Palazzo Farnese, take a final look at the Farnese lily, the heraldic symbol that appears on nearly every surface of this building. We have seen how a single family used architecture to announce their…