Palazzo Barberini
Palazzo Barberini
GALLERIA NAZIONALE D'ARTE ANTICA
Palazzo Barberini
Built for Pope Urban VIII (real name Maffeo Barberini), the palazzo is now an art gallery that not everyone knows about. For us, this gallery is one of our recommendations, because here you can experience works by Caravaggio, El Greco, Bernini or Borromini in a relaxed manner.
My Rating:
The positives:
In a beautiful baroque palace you can marvel at a very nice art collection in large rooms - and without much crowding!
The negatives:
I didn't notice anything negative.
Fun Tip:
Count the bees! Bees were part of Pope Urban VIII's papal coat of arms (who came from the Barberini family). Throughout the building you will discover bees on different places (walls, paintings, railings...).
Last Modified: 07.03.2025 | Céline & Susi
Palazzo Barberini
Tickets
The details
at a glance
Prices
Valid for the Palazzo Barberini & the Galleria Corsini
EUR 15 for adults
EUR 2 for young people between 18 and 25 years (EU citizens)
Free admission for children under 18, people with disabilities and an accompanying person
Roma Pass
The Palazzo Barberini is on the list of museums and sights you can visit with the Roma Pass.
The Roma Pass is valid for 48 or 72 hours.
-> Find out more about the Roma Pass
The Roma Pass is also included with the 72-hour Omnia Card.
-> Find out more about the Omnia Card
Palazzo Barberini
Photo Gallery
WHAT IS THERE
TO SEE?
Not far from the Trevi Fountain, i.e. in the middle of Rome, there is a green area somewhat hidden by walls that houses a vivid palace: the Palazzo Barberini. The building appears powerful and imposing due to the large open space, which is only broken by a fountain. The Palazzo Barberini is a work of art through and through: from the outside and also from the inside…
Rome’s most famous architects worked on the palace: Carlo Maderno, known among other things for the façade of St Peter’s Basilica. Francesco Borromini, who made history for the architecture of baroque churches, such as Sant’ Ivo alla Sapienza. And last, but not least, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who still amazes thousands of people every day in Piazza Navona with his Four Streams Fountain.
Inside the Palazzo Barberini is one of the two parts of the art museum “Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica” (the other part is in the Galleria Corsini, in Trastevere). As you would guess from the outside, the rooms, and halls inside the building are also huge and impressive. This is, of course, reinforced by the stunning art collection that is kept here.
When you enter the great hall, there is a risk that you will forget to breathe in amazement at the sight of the 17th century ceiling fresco “Allegory of Divine Providence” by Pietro da Cortona. And it won’t stop! The halls in front of you are spectacular too: you come across Caravaggio’s masterpiece “Judith and Holofernes” (Giuditta che taglia la testa a Oloferne, 1597/1600) or El Greco‘s “Adoration of the Shepherds” (“Adorazione dei Pastori e Battesimo di Cristo”, 1546-1548). So: be careful 😉
If you haven’t heard of El Greco, Caravaggio, Filippo Lippi or Pietro da Cortona, you should visit the museum in Palazzo Barberini. Then, at the latest, you will understand why we in the 21st century have such great admiration for artists of the late Renaissance and Baroque. And to all those who are already fans of these artists, the question should be asked at this point: What are you waiting for?
A bit of History
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The Staircases
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CARAVAGGIO
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EL GRECO
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PALAZZO BARBERINI
A bit of History
The palace was bought by Pope Urban VIII in the 17th century. It was he who commissioned innovative artists such as Maderno, Bernini and Borromini to convert the original villa into a palace.
The palazzo bears the name “Barberini” because Pope Urban VIII came from the Barberini family. When the latter (real name Maffeo Barberini, 1568 -1644) became pope, bees were integrated into the papal coat of arms. These should actually be flies because his original family name was Tafani (translated: Brakes/Flies). Since flies are rather unsuitable for a coat of arms, he had himself renamed after his hometown, Barberino, and the flies became bees. These bees can also be found in many places in the building, for example on statues or stucco ceilings. Today, in the advertising industry, this would be called branding…
The reconstruction of the Palazzo began in 1627 and was completed 11 years later. There are 187 rooms in the palazzo, spread over 12,000 m2. What was once living space is now used for an art collection of more than 5000 paintings, frescoes and sculptures (mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries). This was not always the case. It was not until 1949 that the palace became the property of the state. A few years later, the building was opened to the public. After completion of the renovation work, the entire palace has only been open to visitors since 2011.
BERNINI & BORROMINI
THE STAIRCASES
Staircases? Yes! You heard right. Staircases can be beautiful too. Just look at the two examples here in Palazzo Barberini!
1) The oval staircase is by the architect Francesco Borromini (1599 – 1667). He originally came from Switzerland, but he created his main works in Rome. He virtually became the Antoni Gaudí of Rome (Gaudí = the most popular architect in Barcelona) because he designed, restored or rebuilt countless churches and palaces! These include for example:
- the Lateran (church, reconstruction)
- San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane (church)
- Santa Lucia in Selci (church, restoration)
- Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza (church), Sant’Agnese in Agone (church)
- Palazzo Spada (palace, perspective corridor)
- Palazzo Barberini (palace, staircase)
- Palazzo Pamphilj (palace, ballroom and gallery)
- or the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (palace at the Spanish Steps).
2) The other, square staircase is by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680). His style is much harder and straighter, but no less beautiful. Bernini was a sculptor and architect. That’s why you’ve probably already met him here on our Rome page. He designed, for example, the wonderful figures of David, Apollo and Daphne or the Rape of Proserpina in the Galleria Borghese! And as an architect, he created the façade and the second staircase in the Palazzo Barberini. Other fountains and buildings he worked on include:
- The Fountain of the Four Streams in Piazza Navona
- The Triton Fountain in Piazza Barberini
- The baldachin of the ciborium in St. Peter’s Basilica
- St Peter’s Square
- Reconstruction of the Santa Maria del Popolo
WHO WAS
CARAVAGGIO?
Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610), called and known as Caravaggio. What is actually the name of his hometown becomes his trademark in adversity! Why? He had to find an artist’s name because a Michelangelo already existed at that time. And quite honestly, who wants to be “the 2nd”?
Caravaggio came to Rome from northern Italy in his early twenties because he wanted to become a painter and not a bricklayer like his father. He began his career in a workshop by drawing heads. He then painted mainly fruits and plants until he began to paint portraits of himself. Furthermore, he painted himself as a “boy with a basket of fruit”, as “Bacchus” and as “sick Bacchus”, which also reveals a lot about his own biography. Caravaggio became famous, however, mainly for his public works in churches. Caravaggio is known for his realistic painting, for example, he painted dirty people. That was very untypical for that time!
A special feature of his painting is his use of chiaroscuro effects. With these, he manages to set the scene for his paintings in a particularly dramatic way. The bright areas of his paintings are illuminated by the “divine light spot”. Whereby it is never quite clear from which corner this light comes, whether it is day or night and whether the light comes from a natural light source (sun/moon) or an unnatural one (candlelight). Whoever looks at his pictures has the feeling of being directly involved in what is happening. As if the viewer were an eyewitness. As if the picture were a scene in a film being played before his eyes.
His life was, as was usual for artists of that time, a life with a lot of alcohol, with many ups and downs. As an alleged murderer, he had to flee Rome, first to Naples, then to Sicily. Caravaggio died at the age of 38 during an attempted return to Rome. How he died, however, remains unclear to this day.
Judith and Holofernes (1597/1600)
Caravaggio painted a biblical scene here: Judith beheads Holofernes. It probably dates from 1598/99, but it was lost at some point and only rediscovered in 1950. Since then, it has been in the collection of the Palazzo Barberini. It shows the moment when the widow Judith Holofernes chops off/saws Holofernes’ head with a sword. An elderly maid accompanies her.
But what happened? What moves Judith to do this deed? The Syrian Holofernes was a feared general. His soldiers robbed, murdered and set villages on fire. One day, they came to Judith’s village. She wanted to save her town and set a trap for Holofernes. She was not only brave, but also very beautiful. She went into his camp with her maid, and he was immediately on fire for her.
He invited her to dinner and promised himself more. But Judith got him drunk, and together they disappeared into his tent… There she and her maid took the chance and beheaded him. They took Holofernes’ head back to their city, and the next morning the soldiers found only the lifeless torso: they fled in terror and the city was saved!
Another beautiful depiction of Judith is, for example, “Judith” by Gustav Klimt, which you can see at some point in the Belvedere Palace in Vienna. 😉
WHO WAS
EL GRECO?
El Greco (1541-1614), Spanish for “the Greek,” was born Domenikos Theotokopoulos and, as his stage name suggests, comes from Greece. In 1568, he came to Venice, and later to Rome (1570-1577). He didn’t stay in Italy too long. He lived in Spain until his death. He was an artist, sculptor and architect.
El Greco mostly depicts religious themes in his paintings. His art is “different”, striking, unique. Although he certainly studied the classical works of his predecessors, Michelangelo and Raffael. With many, short brushstrokes, El Greco composes works that we would still describe as “modern” and unconventional. In Spain, however, no one would have had a problem with this painting style even 400 years ago.
Only later did people begin to criticize his unnatural shapes and colours and portray his paintings as ridiculous. El Greco’s art is therefore a “rediscovered”/”reunderstood” art. El Greco was also inspired by the works of Spanish artists such as San Juan de la Cruz or Teresa of Ávila and remained creative throughout his life.
What makes him and his way of creating special is that he kept a small-format copy of each of his works and later took up individual motifs again.
His images stand out from classic Catholic works. As an icon painter, he reinterprets themes. He tries to give spiritual events a new expression. Away from naturalism towards individualism. It’s actually almost logical that his art was promoted less by noble citizens and more by intellectuals, clergy and humanists. The older the artist, the more classic and calm his pictures become. El Greco died in Toledo at the age of 73. In the Palazzo Barberini you can admire his Adoration of the Shepherds and the Baptism of Christ (1546-1548).
Official Website of the Palazzo Barberini (EN): www.barberinicorsini.org
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2020 – 2025
With the support of Susanne Vukan.
Courtesy of Palazzo Barberini / Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica
