Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini: The Palazzo Barberini in Rome is a huge palace built by Maffeo Barberini in the first half of the 17th century. Today the palace is famous for its National Gallery of Ancient Art, which houses collections of porcelain, antique furniture and paintings by the great artists Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and many others. Maffeo Barberini, even before he became Pope Urban VIII, decided to build a family residence, his family was becoming more and more powerful, and every respectable influential family had to have a palace, and the more beautiful it was, the more honourable it was.
Planning and drawing up of drawings of the palace began in 1625, at the same time was bought land on the hill Quirinal, on the site of the former estate of the family Sforza.
The design of the palace was Carlo Moderno, the final project was approved in 1627. But 2 years later Carlo died and the construction was supervised by the notorious Giovanni Bernini. The construction lasted almost 6 years and was completed by 1633.
Now the 1-2 floors of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome is occupied by one of the buildings of the National Gallery of Ancient Art. Here you can see works by artists of the XV, XVI and XVII centuries. The richness of the collection is evident from the names of the authors of the paintings on display: Filippo Lippi, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, Poussin, Guido Reni and other equally famous authors. In all, more than 1,500 paintings and other exhibits are displayed in 34 palace halls.
Museum opening hours: 10:00-19:00
Days off: Mondays, 25 December, 1 January.
