The Palazzo Barberini Museum is a 17th-century palace in Rome located near Piazza Barberini. The palace houses the ‘Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica’, a national collection of paintings.

Info & Tickets

• Address: Via delle Quattro Fontane 13, Rome
• Metro: Metro stop Barberini (Line A)
• Tickets: Museum Tickets (Palazzo Barberini + Galleria Corsini) from 14 € (book your tickets online)
• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 6pm (ticket office closes at 5pm)
• Closed on December 25 and January 1

The founder of the palace is Maffeo Barberini (1568 - 1644), who later became Pope Urban VIII. Barberini bought the original villa from the Sforza family for his cousins Taddeo, Francesco and Antonio. At the time, he had the most innovative artists working on the project to convert the villa into a beautiful palace. For example, the square stairwell of the Barberini Museum was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the oval spiral staircase by Borromini. The total palace now has 187 rooms and covers 12000 m2. Striking here is the family crest of the Barberinis; the bee. You will find these bees in many places of the Barberini Museum, such as in the ceilings and statues.

Paintings in Palazzo Barberini

The museum actually consists of two galleries. This Palazzo Barberini and the less visited Galleria Corsini on Via della Lungara. In total, this museum, which has passed into the national gallery, has more than 5000 paintings, sculptures and frescoes mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. Highlights from the collection in Palazzo Barberini include works by Rafael (La Fornaria), Filippo Lippi (The Annunciation), Caravaggio (Judith beheads Holofernes and Narcissus), Tintoretto, El Greco and Bronzini. In addition, the palace also has some impressive ceiling paintings, such as those in the great hall of Pietro da Cortona. The palace is especially interesting if you like painting or have a longer stay in Rome Italy.