(Villa Farnesina, 1506 - 1510) is located in and is an example of an elegant urban dwelling of a wealthy Renaissance aristocrat. Works on the facade and interior were made by the best masters of that time. The frescoes of the work are especially beautiful. An orange grove spreads around the building, visiting the villa during the orange blossom is an unforgettable experience.

Once Villa Giulia (Villa Guilia, 1551 - 1555) was the summer residence of the popes, but for more than a hundred years there has been a museum of Etruscan culture. Named after the first owner, Pope Julius III. The graceful Mannerist building was designed by the architect Giacomo da Vignola, and the three-level gazebo around the garden fountain and the fountain itself were built by Ammanatti under the direction of (Giorgio Vasari). The arbor, the so-called nymphaeum, was decorated with figures of forest gods and was intended for outdoor dining.

The construction of the Barberini Palace (Palazzo Barberini, 1627 - 1633) is associated with the most famous representative of the glorious Barberini family - Pope Urban VIII. The construction was started by the architect Carlo Maderna, continued it and.
Since 1949, the Barberini Palace has been completely sold to the state. Now there is National Gallery ancient art.

The Palace of the Office (Palazzo Della Cancelleria, 1489 - 1513) is a monumental and at the same time elegant creation of the great architect Bramante. It was built with money won in cards by the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, cardinal chamberlain Rafael Riario. The win was truly a great success - the architectural harmony of the building reached its perfection. In 1517, Pope Leo X placed his office here, hence the name of the palazzo.

Cardinal Bernardino Spada bought the palace (Palazzo Spada, first half of the 16th century) in 1632 and, wanting to turn it into a magnificent family home, invited Borromini to reconstruct it. The effect exceeded all expectations. The facade of the Palazzo Spada is the most luxuriously decorated in Rome. The patio overlooks the Borromini Perspective, a nine-meter gallery that looks four times as long. The effect is achieved thanks to sloping floors and tapering arches. The art gallery, located in four rooms on the ground floor, contains works by Guido Reni, Albani,. In 1927, the palace was bought by the state, since then the gallery has been open to the public. The meetings of the Supreme Council are also held here.

Palazzo Venezia (Palazzo Venezia, 1455) is a unique building on Piazza Venezia, in whose architecture the Middle Ages met with the Renaissance. Formidable walls with rectangular battlements are similar to the walls of the Moscow Kremlin. Asymmetric windows are striking - it was believed that through such an evil spirit could not enter the house. The palace was originally the residence of Cardinal Pietro Barba, the ambassador of the Republic of Venice. In the 1930s, he fell in love with him, and fascist calls sounded from the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia. Now the National Museum is located there.

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The Barberini Palace in Rome is a huge palace built by decree of Maffeo Barberini in the first half of the 17th century. Today the palace is famous for the fact that the National Gallery of Ancient Art is located here, porcelain collections, antique furniture, as well as paintings by great artists are exhibited here: Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and many others.

History of creation

Maffeo Barberini, even before he became Pope Urban VIII, decided to build a family residence, his family became more and more powerful, and every decent influential family had to have its own palace, and the more beautiful it is, the more honor.

Planning and drafting of the palace began in 1625, at the same time land was bought on the Quirinal hill, on the site of the former estate of the Sforza family.

Carlo Moderno took up the design of the palace, the final project was approved in 1627. But 2 years later, Carlo died and the well-known Giovanni Bernini took over the construction. Construction lasted almost 6 years, and was completed by 1633.

Piranesi engraving on the palazzo

Architecture and decoration of the palace

Palazzo Barberini in Rome is a three-story building with a main building and 2 side wings. Outside, the territory is surrounded by a fence depicting bees, the symbol of the Barberini family. Near the current central entrance is the Azzurri fence, which appeared only in the 19th century. Behind the building you can see the garden, which today is only a remnant of the former picturesqueness. However, the beauty of the garden is still impressive.

Palazzo drawing

The exterior beauty of the building is fully consistent with the interior decoration.

The left wing of the palace is decorated with frescoes by Pietro da Cortona, created by him in the 1630s. The artist's most grandiose work is The Triumph of Divine Providence. Iconic symbols are clearly visible in this fresco: the papal keys, the tiara and the Barberini bees.

Fresco Triumph of Divine Providence

Another fresco "The Triumph of Divine Wisdom" was created by the artist Andrea Sacchi. In this work, Andrea points to the education of Pope Urban VIII. Here, along with the glorification of an eminent family, there is evidence of the Pope's adherence to the heliocentric system of the world (the pope was closely acquainted with Galileo).

Fresco Triumph of Divine Wisdom

In the right wing there are antique statues. The hall where they stand used to be very popular. The fact is that members of the Barberini family collected classical antique statues, thereby standing out from other Roman families. Unfortunately, few ancient creations have come down to us. For a long time this hall was used as a theatrical hall, accommodating up to two hundred spectators.

One of the most unusual sights of the palazzo is the spiral staircase, which was erected by the grandson of Charles Moderno, Francesco Borromini. The windows and facade of the building on the reverse side belong to his hand.

spiral staircase

An interesting decision was made on the baroque halls of the palace, the features of which were thought out by Pietro da Cortona. To add sophistication from Flanders, the master Jacop della Riviera, who specialized in Flemish-type fabrics, was called. Drawings for the material were invented by da Cortona himself, achieving the most unusual decoration of the interior.

National Gallery

Now the 1st and 2nd floors of the Barberini Palace in Rome are occupied by one of the buildings of the National Gallery of Ancient Art. Here you can see the works of artists of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The richness of the collection is evidenced by the names of the authors of the paintings presented: Filippo Lippi, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, Poussin, Guido Reni and other equally famous authors. In total, over 1,500 paintings and other exhibits are exhibited in 34 palace halls.

The National Gallery, located in the Palazzo Barberini, is considered one of the youngest in Rome. It arose after joining four private art collections, the first of which was collected by members of the Barberini family.

The beginning of the collection of the second collection was laid by Cardinal Nero Corsini. He began to create it in the palace, which he acquired in 1737. After 150 years, distant relatives of the cardinal transferred the collection to the state.

Later, it was supplemented by canvases from the collection of the Duke of Torlonia, and later by exhibits from the Galleria del Monte. The collections of the Barberini and Corsini galleries were merged to form the National Gallery of Ancient Art.

Rich art galleries

Barberini Library

At one time, there was a library on the top floor of the palace building, on the shelves of which about 60,000 printed publications and 10,000 handwritten copies were stored. Such an extensive collection of books and manuscripts speaks of the high intellect of its owner. Subsequently, the library was transferred to the possession of the Vatican, and in the halls where it was located, now there is a museum of the Italian Numismatic Institute.

How to get there

Piazza Barberini is located in the eastern part of the city. You can get there by metro line A (Barberini station).

Buses No. 52, 53, 56, 58, 60, 61, 95, 116, 175, 492, 590 follow towards the Palazzo Barberini.

Palace address

Via delle Quattro Fontane, 13.

The official website of the Gallery of Ancient Art publishes the cost of buying tickets to visit the attraction. On it you can pre-order tickets for any number of visitors.

Entry on the first Sunday of each month is free for all. The gallery is closed on Mondays, as well as on Christmas Day and January 1st.

public tours

daily except Tuesdays	11 a.m., 12 p.m. & 3 p.m.
additionally on Thursdays	5 p.m.
€3 plus admission

accessibility

The entire museum is handicap accessible. Detailed information you can find

visitor service
Phone	+49 (0)331-236014-499

visitor address Museum Barberini Humboldstr. 5–6 Alter Markt 14467 Potsdam
admission and tickets Tickets purchased through the web shop and at the ticket desk in the museum are tied to hourly admission times. Purchase a ticket online here for the date and time you want to visit the exhibition. Daily updated timed tickets can be purchased on site at the ticket desk.
Regular	€ 14
reduced rate	€ 10
Children and Teens 18 and under	free entrance
Evening Special Ticket (valid for the last hour of the exhibition day)	€8 / €6 (reduced)
Groups of 10 or more (per person)	€ 10
annual membership as Barberini Friend (to be purchased at the ticket desk)	from €20 p.p.

“Encounter the original, share the passion.”

Benefactor and patron Prof. Dr. h. c. mult.
Hasso Plattner on the Museum Barberini's mission

Take a Walk with the Barberini App

Explore Potsdam!

The exhibition Baroque Pathways Italy in Potsdam

The exhibition Baroque Pathways at the Museum Barberini invites you to explore Italian influences in Potsdam's cityscape. Stroll through the city with the audio tour Italy in Potsdam and discover 30 Italianate buildings and artworks, from the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church)-modeled on St. Nicholas Church Peter's in Rome-and the Brandenburg Gate, which was inspired by the Arch of Constantine, to the Orangery Palace in Sanssouci, whose architecture unmistakably mirrors the Villa Medici in Rome. The city tour, available in German, English and Italian, will accompany you through the city and reveal surprising visual comparisons between Potsdam and Italy.

Barberini Digital encompasses all the museum’s digital projects: From the Barberini Guide to the virtual education in the museum. Use the Barberini App to learn more about ongoing exhibitions at the Museum Barberini in Potsdam: You can explore the museum in 360° panoramas before you even enter the doors. You can see all the tours for kids and adults at a glance. Select your audio guide and use the app to help you navigate your way through the museum. The app also contains all the information you need to plan your visit, as well as video interviews with curators and other experts.

On the street of the Four Fountains - via delle Quattro Fontane, not far from the square. Barberini, behind the gates and the fence of the 19th century, there is the palace of the once rich and powerful Barberini family, whose tribal coat of arms - three bees - on the fence of the Barberini Palace, on the boat of Bernini's father on the Spanish Square, on the fountain "Bees" (Fontana delle Api) more famous Bernini's son - Lorenzo Bernini.
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Castle Barberini - Palazzo Barberini It was built by order of Pope Urban VIII, Maffeo Barberini (here it must be recalled that until 1870 the Popes ruled Rome). In the creation of the palace in 1625-1633. three great architects participated - Carlo Maderno, Francesco Borromini and Bernini.
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Palm trees grow in front of the palace, the bright green of which was pleasing to the eye in mid-October.
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19th century fountain in front of the palace facade.
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The Barberini family has collected over the centuries rich collection books, furniture, paintings and sculptures. However, many were sold - there was not enough money to maintain the palace. So, in 1900, the library and antique furniture of Bernini were sold to the Vatican, and half a century later, in 1949, the Barberini Palace with all the furnishings and works of art were sold to the state, and in the left wing of the palace in 1953 an art gallery was set up - Galleria Nazionale d Arte Antica.
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The gallery has a valuable collection of ancient icons. Fresco by Camillo Spallucci (1582-1605).
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In addition to ancient icons, the gallery has paintings by famous artists: Titian, Tintoretto, Lorenzo Lotto, Caravaggio, Andrea del Sarto, El Greco and others. There are 1445 paintings in the gallery.
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One of the famous paintings by Caravaggio - a rather large canvas - "Judith and Holofernes" made a terrible impression on me, and I did not photograph it, but photographed this cute view of Venice by the 18th century artist Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal) (Venezia 1697 - 1768) as a keepsake ).
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An unusual hall - marble columns and a fountain. A detailed description of it hangs on the wall of the hall, which I photographed, but my hand trembled and ... the frame did not come out. There was no information about the hall on the Internet.
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At the top of the fountain is the Barberini family coat of arms with three bees.
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To see other halls of the gallery, one had to leave the building and climb the famous Bernini stairs. Unlike the Borromini staircase, it is quadrangular.
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How high I had to climb to get into other halls, I did not know. The staircase seemed endless and I somehow forgot to take a picture of it during the difficult ascent of it ... As it turned out later, there is an elevator in the gallery, but I still went down the stairs to once again walk along the old steps and feel the atmosphere of the bygone past, imagining how guests and owners of the palace were daily ascending and descending along the wide steps of Bernini's stairs.
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Ceiling frescoes of the halls.
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In the gallery it was possible to take an audio guide in Italian, English or French. But this time I decided to do without an audio guide, and rely on my own taste, and he did not deceive me: I did not miss a single masterpiece in the museum, such as this statue of a Vestal Virgin by the Italian sculptor Antonio Corradini (Venezia, 1688 - Napoli, 1752) .
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There is something a little frightening about this marble face covered with a veil.
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In the huge hall, the pearl of the palace is a dazzling ceiling fresco by Pietro da Cortona "Allegory of Divine Providence" (1633-1639).
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I took at least 20 shots through the zoom, but most of the shots didn't come out - it's not easy to shoot without a tripod with a pop-up zoom camera.
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This close-up shot of Barberini bees came out surprisingly well.
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An elderly couple stood in front of this painting in a small hall for a long time, and when she left, I was left alone with the painting of the genius Raphael - "La Fornarina" ("The Baker"). This painting is almost 500 years old! It is believed to have been written by Raphael in the year of his death in 1520. This is a masterpiece of masterpieces! The picture is enchanting! Words cannot express what a huge impression it makes: you look and do not take your eyes off.
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Five centuries have passed since the death of the brilliant Raffaello, legends and myths about his death and the one he loved, who was his model, are multiplying. Nothing is known for sure about the fate of his beloved after the death of Raphael, which, however, does not prevent the creation of conflicting stories about her: some in pink, others in black. As always, when there are no facts, they are replaced by fantasy.
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Having gone down the Bernini stairs, I had to go upstairs again to take a bag from the storage room. Then back down to the yard. On the side of the entrance, the famous Borromini snail staircase was visible, but the entrance to it was closed. Found the entrance to the palace garden. When the palace was built, an extensive garden was laid out around it for the first time in the history of the papal capital. Then the garden was destroyed. Seeing the stairs that lead to the garden, I said, "Oh no!" During the four days of the trip, I began to get tired of the Roman stairs, in addition, ahead of me was a steep ascent along the street of the Four Fountains and down the hill to one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Rome. Having taken a couple of shots, I left the territory of the palace with the hope that I would visit Rome again and then I would definitely go into this garden...
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There is very little information in Russian. Details on the museum's website, where you can see photos of paintings by the most significant artists: http://galleriabarberini.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/23/capolavori
All photos, except for two, dated October 15, 2015. The first frame was taken on a trip to Rome in September 2012. The general view of the palace (photo 2) was taken from the window of a hotel room in September 2004.

Palazzo Barberini

The National Gallery of Rome, located in Palazzo Barberini, is probably the youngest art collection in Rome. Collected here a large number of first-class works of Italian masters of the XVI-XIX centuries. The Roman Gallery is housed in two buildings, one of which is the Palazzo Barberini.

Palazzo Barberini was conceived as a royal residence, since it was assumed that after 1625 the family of Pope Urban VIII (Barberini) would be housed there. The building was erected on the territory of the former vineyard of the Sforza family - there was once a small palace (palazzetto), which in turn was built on the site of ancient buildings, in particular the temple of Flora. The new palace, erected with true baroque splendor, was to glorify the Barberini family, and, it must be admitted, this plan was carried out with brilliance.

Initially, the work was led by Carlo Maderno, who was replaced by Francesco Borromini, but he also had to give way to Gianlorenzo Bernini, who completed the construction in 1634 with the participation of Pietro da Cortona.

The huge building included the main building and two side wings, repeating the outlines of the Quirinal Hill; Behind the palazzo is a vast park. Cardinal Francesco Barberini did everything to ensure that the palace was completed on time. Not the last role in this was played by the financing of the construction by his uncle, Pope Urban VIII, who shamelessly raised taxes from his subjects in order to find the required funds, for which the people nicknamed him “dad-duty”.

Construction proceeded rapidly. First, the architectural ideas of Borromini took shape, according to the project of which windows, a spiral staircase and rear facade. Then, according to the project of Bernini, a large staircase was erected in the left wing, enclosed in a square well. Bernini designed the main façade overlooking Via delle Quattro Fontane. Now on this side is the main entrance and the iron fence of the 19th century (architect Francesco Azzurri) with eight pillars decorated with images of Atlanteans.

On the current Via San Nicola da Tolentino, opposite the portal designed by Pietro da Cortona, stables were built, and on the side of the modern Via Bernini, a theater was erected with the Manege Court: from here a passage arranged under the palazzo began, leading to the garden behind it.

All these buildings, located on the left side of the modern Piazza Barberini, no longer exist: they were demolished when laying the Via Barberini.

This residence of the Barberini family, famous for patronage, became a place of attraction for the best cultural forces of the 17th century. Among those who visited the salon were the poets Gabriello Chiabrera, Giovanni Ciampoli, the author of religious poems, and Francesco Bracciolini, who gained fame with the poem "The Wrath of the Gods". Among the regulars of the palace were scientists, historians and, of course, Lorenzo Bernini, who, in addition to all other talents, also showed himself as a theater artist. Performances at the Barberini Theater began on February 23, 1634 with the melodrama Saint Alexis to the music of Giulio Rospigliosi. Musical comedies were staged in the palace, dance parties were held during the carnival and wedding celebrations, as happened in 1656, when Maffeo Barberini married Olimpia Giustiniani.

Although patronage was the pride of the Barberini, they mainly used artists to glorify themselves. This was especially vividly embodied in the design of the palace, in particular its left wing, the halls of which were painted (1633-1639) with magnificent frescoes by Pietro da Cortona.

Among them stands out the giant plafond of the central salon on the second floor - "The Triumph of Divine Providence", the baroque apotheosis of the Barberini family, as indicated by the papal tiara and the keys of Urban VIII depicted on the fresco, as well as the heraldic bees of the Barberini. Another room is adorned with Andrea Sacchi's sumptuous plafond "Triumph of Divine Wisdom": this fresco not only glorifies Barberini, but is also intended to testify to the triumph of the heliocentric theory, about which Urban VIII had frequent conversations with Galileo Galilei.

The right wing of the palace is no less luxuriously finished, as evidenced by the Hall of Marbles, or the Hall of Statues, in which magnificent examples of classical sculpture, which the Barberini collected, were exhibited. This hall was especially famous, demonstrating the undeniable superiority of the Barberini over the rest of the Roman patrician. Not much has survived from the collection, for example, "Velata" by Antonio Corradini. The hall was used for banquets, and also, until the theater was built, for theatrical performances: it could accommodate up to 200 spectators.

From 1627 to 1683, a tapestry workshop operated in the palace. From its walls came the so-called Flemish fabrics that adorned the Baroque halls: they were made under the guidance of the artist Jacopo della Riviera, whom Francesco Barberini ordered from Flanders, according to the drawings and cardboards of Pietro da Cortona, which made it possible to achieve artistic perfection.

The last floor of the palace housed the library of Cardinal Francesco, numbering 60,000 volumes and 10,000 manuscripts. This library, one of the outstanding cultural monuments of the 17th century, also speaks of the intellectual needs of its owner. True, another papal nephew, Cardinal Antonio, who was distinguished by a restless and ambitious disposition, lived in the same palace. He was not inferior to another papal nephew, Taddeo, brother of Francesco and Antonio, who had the rank of general of the papal army. He received the title of Prince of Palestrina and was appointed prefect of Rome. Taddeo dishonored himself by embezzling part of the taxes collected from the Romans. By the way, Taddeo, who was chosen to continue the dynasty, was the heir to the family property. However, in 1645, the brothers had to endure many anxious moments when, after the death of Urban VIII, Pope Innocent X appointed a commission to investigate the activities of the Barberini, during which all their abuses were revealed. For several years, the brothers hid in France while their Roman palace was confiscated. Soon the storm subsided, and, relying on the intercession of Cardinal Mazarin, they returned to Rome and received back their fortune, including the palazzo.

The Barberini dynasty maintained the purity of blood until 1728, when the last of the family, Cornelia Costanza, married Giulio Cesare Colonna Sharra, which marked the beginning of the Barberini-Colonna branch. In 1893, with the marriage of the last representative of this branch, Maria, to Luigi Sacchetti, a new branch arose - Sacchetti-Barberini-Colonna.

The history of the palace reflected all the ups and downs of the fate of the family that owned it, which more than once resorted to selling their artistic treasures in order to find funds to maintain a luxurious residence. Mention should be made of the work on the improvement of the garden, during which, according to the project of Giovanni Mazzoni, who since 1867 served as the gardener of the Barberini, a greenhouse and a fish garden were created. In the same period, Francesco Azzurri arranged a fountain in the garden opposite the palace on the side of Via delle Quattro Fontane. The fountain, erected over an octagonal pool and decorated with four mascarons and three bees, is undoubtedly the last luxury that the Barberini allowed themselves. In 1900, the library of Cardinal Francesco, as well as the furniture created by Bernini, were sold to the Vatican, and the floor where the library was located was occupied by the Italian Institute of Numismatics. The part of the park that stretched towards Via Venti Settembre was divided into plots and sold. Once upon a time there was a playground for playing bracchale; subsequently, ministerial buildings rose in its place, and the country color of this once aristocratic quarter with its wonderful villas disappeared forever.

The crisis that befell them forced them to abandon the palace of the Barberini heirs. In 1935, the shipping company Finmare acquired the old wing of the palace, which was then completely rebuilt. In 1949, the state bought the entire complex, and three years later the Barberini sold off all their paintings and various works of art. The left wing houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art, which preserves its splendid interiors; the right one was handed over to the armed forces, who stationed the Officers' Assembly here, which can hardly be considered a good decision. The guarantee of the preservation of the architectural and artistic treasures of the palace can only be its complete transformation into a museum complex. Only then will the palace be able to regain its former splendor.