Attractions

Rome Architecture – Castles and Palaces

Castel Sant'Angelo

Lungotevere Castello 50, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/39967700

This great circular building stands between the Tiber and the Vatican. Castel Sant'Angelo's loggias and terraces have wonderful views. The structure was in fact built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian. Work began in AD 135 and was completed by the emperor's successor, Antoninus Pius, about five years later. When first finished, it consisted of a great square base topped by a marble-clad cylinder on which was planted a ring of cypress trees. Above them towered a gigantic statue of Hadrian. From about the middle of the 6th century AD the building became a fortress, the military key to Rome for almost 1,000 years and the place of refuge for numerous popes during wars and sieges.

Its name dates from 590, when Pope Gregory the Great, during a procession to plead for the end of a plague, saw an angel standing on the summit of the castle in the act of sheathing its sword. Taking this as a heavenly sign that the plague was at an end, the pope built a small chapel atop the castle on the spot where he had seen the angel, and next to it had placed a statue of the angel. Henceforth, it became known as Castel Sant'Angelo. Later, Puccini set the final scene of Tosca here; on the upper terrace is the rampart from which the lovesick heroine throws herself to end the opera.

Enter the building from the former moat, and through the original Roman door of Hadrian's tomb. From here you travel through a courtyard that was enclosed in the base of the classical monument. You enter a vaulted brick corridor that hints at grim punishments in dank cells. On the right, a spiral ramp leads up to the chamber in which Hadrian's ashes were kept. Where the ramp ends, the Borgia Pope Alexander VI's staircase begins. Part of it consisted of a wooden drawbridge, which could isolate the upper part of the castle completely. The staircase ends at the Cortile dell'Angelo, a courtyard that has become the resting place of the marble angel that stood above the castle. (It was replaced by a bronze sculpture in 1753.)

In the courtyard named for Pope Alexander VI, a wellhead bears the Borgia coat of arms. The courtyard is surrounded by gloomy cells and huge storerooms that could hold great quantities of oil and grain in case of siege. Benvenuto Cellini, the rowdy 16th-century Florentine goldsmith, sculptor, and boastful autobiographer, spent some time in Castel Sant'Angelo's foul prisons; so did Giordano Bruno, a heretical monk who was later burned at the stake in Campo de' Fiori, and Beatrice Cenci, accused of patricide and incest and executed just across Ponte Sant'Angelo. (Beatrice's story forms the lurid plot of Shelley's verse drama The Cenci. )

Take the stairs at the far end of the courtyard to the open terrace. From here, you have some wonderful views of the city's rooftops and of the lower portions of the castle. You can also see the Passetto, the fortified corridor connecting Castel Sant'Angelo with the Vatican. Pope Clement VII used it to make his way safely to the castle during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Opening off the terrace are more rooms containing arms and military uniforms. There's also a café where you can pause for refreshments.

Continue to travel along the perimeter of the tower and climb the few stairs to the appartamento papale (papal apartment). Though used by the popes mainly in times of crisis, these splendid rooms are far from spartan. The sumptuous Sala Paolina ( Pauline Room ), the first you enter, was decorated in the 16th century by Pierino del Vaga and his assistants with lavish frescoes of scenes from the Old Testament and the lives of St. Paul and Alexander the Great. Look for the trompe l'oeil door with a figure climbing the stairs. From another false door, a black-clad figure peers into the room. This is believed to be a portrait of an illegitimate son of the powerful Orsini family. You can continue to travel to the upper terrace at the feet of the bronze angel for a magnificent view.

www.pierreci.it.

COST: EUR5. Tues.-Sun. 9-8.

Palazzo Capranica

Piazza Capranica
Rome, Italy

Today this is a well-known cinema, but it used to be a palazzo. It was built in 1400 for Cardinal Domenico Capranica and is one of the few buildings of its kind still standing. At the end of the 1400s, architectural additions were made to the building, thus mixing medieval and Renaissance styles, as was fashionable at the time. The windows still have the cardinal's coat of arms.

Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Antica

Via Barberini 18, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/32810

Travel to Rome and see the city's finest collection of paintings from the 13th to the 18th century installed in Palazzo Barberini. Both Bernini and Borromini worked on this massive building, but the overall plan of Rome 's most splendid 17th-century palace was produced by Carlo Maderno. Pope Urban VIII had acquired the property and given it to a nephew, who was determined to build an edifice worthy of his generous uncle and the ever-more-powerful Barberini clan. You'll get an idea of the grandeur of the place as you visit the museum.

Entering the palace, you climb a broad marble staircase designed by Bernini. On the main floor (keep your ticket handy, because you'll have to show it again upstairs) you'll find several magnificent paintings, including Raphael's Fornarina, a luminous portrait of the artist's lover, cleaned and restored to reveal a jeweled ring and a bracelet on her upper arm bearing Raphael's name. A dramatic Caravaggio depicts a lovely young Judith wearing an expression of defiance and horror as she severs the head of Holofernes. There's a Holbein portrait of Henry VIII in the finery he donned for his wedding to Anne of Cleves in 1540, and two small but striking El Grecos.

The palace's large main salon is part of the gallery. It was decorated in the 1630s by Pietro da Cortona and is a spectacular and surprisingly early example of the baroque practice of glorifying patrons by depicting them on the ceiling as part of the heavenly host. In this case, Pope Urban VIII appears as the agent of Divine Providence. Also prominent in this glowing vault are some huge Barberini bees, the heraldic symbol of the family. Upstairs you'll find an array of 17th- and 18th-century paintings, including some views of Rome by Vanvitelli and Canaletto.

www.galleriaborghese.it.

COST: EUR5. Tues.-Sun. 9-7.

Palazzo Altemps

Piazza Sant'Apollinare 46, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/39967700

The palace's sober exterior belies a magnificence that appears as soon as you walk into the majestic courtyard, studded with statues and covered in part by a retractable awning. It's a reconstruction of a nicety used in many a patrician abode, a throwback to the type of awning that shaded the ancient Romans in the Colosseum. The restored interior hints at the splendid Roman lifestyle of the 16th through 18th centuries and serves as a stunning showcase for the most illustrious pieces from the Museo Nazionale Romano's collection of ancient Roman sculpture, which includes famous pieces from the Ludovisi family collection.

In the frescoed salons you can see the Galata, a poignant work portraying a barbarian warrior who chooses death for himself and his wife rather than humiliation by the enemy. Another highlight is the large Ludovisi sarcophagus, magnificently carved from marble. In a place of honor is the Ludovisi throne, which at least one authoritative art historian considers a colossally overrated fake. Look for the framed explanations of the exhibits that detail (in English) how and exactly where Renaissance sculptors, Bernini among them, added missing pieces to the classical works. In the lavishly frescoed Loggia stand busts of the Caesars.

COST: EUR5. Tues.-Sun. 9- 7:45.

Palazzo Cesi

Via della Conciliazione, 51
Rome, Italy

Number 51, Via della Conciliazione is a rather plain building in comparison to other Rome architecture but nevertheless attracts attention due to a large marble lion's head half way up the right hand corner of the façade. This is Palazzo Cesi, commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Armellini Medici from Martino Longhi in the middle of the 16 century. The family crest is shown on the main entrance.

Palazzo Corsini

Via della Lungara 10, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/68802323

A refined example of baroque style, the palace houses part of the 16th- and 17th-century sections of the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. Among the most famous paintings in this large, dark collection is Guido Reni's Beatrice Cenci. Travel there, if only to climb the 17th-century stone staircase, itself a drama of Rome architectural shadows and sculptural voids.

www.galleriaborghese.it.

COST: EUR4. Tues.-Sat. 8:30 -2, Sun. 8:30-5.

Palazzo Doria Pomphilj

Piazza del Collegio Romano 2, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/6797323

Via di S. Pancrazio leads to a wide area known as Largo Giugno 1849. The Aurelia Antica begins here. There is an entranceway next to an old Baroque villa, which takes you to the Doria Pamphilj Villa. The Baroque villa faces onto the road and is an great example of Rome architecture, shaped and styled like a 'Vascello' (sea vessel), a fact that does not go easily unnoticed. However, the villa's importance owes more to its role in history than its architectural design. The villa was actually the last stronghold of the Roman Republic that only fell after valiant defence. You can still see the signs of the battle in the building's ruins, and also in the Doria Pamphilj Villa nearby, where you can see some of the monuments built to celebrate this historic event.

The incredibly rich family art collection is open to the public, along with some of the private apartments. Set like the family jewels that they are in an alcove off the galleria are the famous Velázquez portrait and the Bernini bust of the Pamphiji pope Innocent X. Of the three Caravaggios in the collection, the Rest on the Flight to Egypt is the finest. You'll also find a Titian and some splendid 17th-century landscapes by Claude Lorrain and Gaspar Dughet. The guided tour of the private apartments includes a baroque chapel, a ballroom, and three authentically furnished 18th-century salons. In the private apartments are an Annunciation by Filippo Lippi, a family portrait by Lotto, and a stately portrait of Andrea Doria by Sebastiano del Piombo. It's the glimpse of an aristocratic lifestyle that makes this tour special.

www.doriapamphilj.it.

COST: Galleria Doria Pamphilj EUR7.30, includes audio guide. Fri.-Wed. 10-5.

Palazzo Farnese

Servizio Culturale, French Embassy, Piazza Farnese 67, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/686011

The Farnese family rose to great power during the Renaissance, in part because of the favor Pope Alexander VI showed to the beautiful Giullia Farnese. The large palace was begun when, with Alexander's aid, Giullia's brother became cardinal; it was further enlarged on his election as Pope Paul III in 1534. The uppermost frieze decorations and main window overlooking the piazza are the work of Michelangelo, who also designed part of the courtyard, as well as the graceful arch over Via Giullia at the back. The facade on Piazza Farnese has recently been cleaned, further revealing geometrical brick configurations that have long been thought to hold some occult meaning.

When looking up at the palace, catch a glimpse of the splendid frescoed ceilings, including the Galleria Carracci vault painted by Annibale Carracci between 1597 and 1604 -- the second-greatest ceiling in Rome architecture. For permission to view it from the inside, write to the French Embassy, which now occupies the palace. Specify the number in your party, when you wish to visit, and a local phone number, for confirmation a few days before the visit.

COST: Free. By appointment only.

Villa Farnesina

Via della Lungara 230, Rome, Italy
Phone: 06/68027268

Money was no object to extravagant host Agostino Chigi, a banker from Siena who financed many a papal project. His munificence is evident in this elegant piece of Rome architecture, built for him about 1511. He was especially proud of the delicate fresco decorations in the airy loggias, now glassed in to protect their artistic treasures. When Raphael could steal a little time from his work on the Vatican Stanze, he came over to execute some of the frescoes himself, notably a luminous Galatea. In his villa, host Agostino entertained the popes and princes of 16th-century Rome . He delighted in impressing his guests at alfresco suppers held in riverside pavilions by having his servants clear the table by casting the precious silver and gold dinnerware into the Tiber. His extravagance was not quite so boundless as he wished to make it appear, however: he had nets unfurled a foot or two under the water's surface to catch the valuable ware.

In the Loggia of Psyche on the ground floor, Giulio Romano and others worked from Raphael's designs. Raphael's lovely Galatea is in the adjacent room. On the floor above you can see the trompe l'oeil effects in the aptly named Hall of Perspectives by Peruzzi. Agostino Chigi's bedroom, next door, was frescoed by Il Sodoma with scenes from the life of Alexander the Great, notably the Wedding of Alexander and Roxanne, which is considered to be the artist's best work. The palace also houses the Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe, a treasure-house of old prints and drawings. When the Tiber embankments were built in 1879, the remains of a classical villa were discovered under the Farnesina gardens, and their decorations are now in the Museo Nazionale Romano's collections in Palazzo Massimo alle Terme.

www.lincei.it.

COST: EUR4.50. Mon.-Sat. 9-1.