Barberini Palace
Description:
The Palais Barberini is one of two buildings that houses the National Roman Gallery.
The palace was built as a royal residence for Pope Urban VIII and his Barberini family. The new palace was built on the territory of the former Sforza vineyard. During the construction of the palazzo, no architect has changed. At the beginning, the construction was led by Carlo Maderno, after him by Francesco Borrominin. As a result, he had to give up the main role of Gianlorenzo Bernini, who completed the construction in 1634 with the help of Pietro da Cortona.
The residence of Barberini during the XVII century served as a hotbed for artists. It was visited by Gabriello Chiabrera, Francesco Bracciolini, Giovanni Ciampoli and many others. At the same time, there was a tapestry workshop in the palace.
The descendants of the Barberini family owned the pallazo until the twentieth century. Due to the crisis, first in 1935 the company Finmare bought the old wing of the palace, and then in 1949 the state bought the complex in full. It was at this time that the National Gallery was located in the left wing of the palace.
The gallery contains exceptional works by Italian artists of the XVI-XIX centuries, which are exhibited in the preserved interiors of the palace.