060608


Roma Capitale
Zètema Progetto Cultura
060608 - Discover and buy tourist services, cultural offers and shows in Rome
Typology: Buildings

Address

Address: Piazza Navona, 14
Zone: Rione Parione (Navona-Campo de' Fiori) (Roma centro)

Contacts

Telephone: 06 68398602
Online reservation: www.eventbrite.it

Opening times

Free guided tours at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesdays in Italian and Thursdays in Portuguese
Reservation compulsory on the website: http://roma.itamaraty.gov.br/it/prenotazione_visita_guidata.xml

Wednesdays, at the same time, are reserved for cultural associations that come with their own guide and reservations must be made at visitas.roma@itamaraty.gov.br

Information

Modalità di partecipazione: Booking required

Booking

» Obligatory

Description

Commissioned by Giovanni Battista Pamphilj, who in 1644 had become Pope Innocent X (1644-1655), to unify in a single building the various pre-existing properties on Piazza Pasquino, the palace was built to a design by Girolamo Rinaldi (1570-1655). Its construction went hand in hand with the redevelopment of Piazza Navona and the raising of the church of St Agnes. During the ten years of his pontificate, Innocent X and his family accumulated considerable wealth. Donna Olimpia Maidalchini, the pope's sister-in-law and councillor, who was the target of several "pasquinate", stood out in particular. The famous talking statue, placed just behind the Palace, nicknamed her "Olim pia" ("once virtuous") in Latin. In the 18th century, the Pamphilj family became extinct in the Doria family, and after a series of ups and downs that saw the palace transformed into a boarding house, in 1920 it passed to the Brazilian State, which bought it in 1960 and placed its embassy there. The grandiose palace has rooms with frescoes by various 17th century artists such as Pietro da Cortona, Agostino Tassi, Giacinto Brandi and others. Of particular note is the Salone Palestrina, used for parties and concerts, and the splendid Gallery designed by Borromini and decorated by Pietro da Cortona with scenes from the life of Aeneas. Recent restoration work has returned the façade to the pastel sky-blue colour it had in the 18th century.

 

See also

Hospitality › Services › Embassies and consulates
Culture and leisure › Cultural heritage › Architectural and historical heritage
Last checked: 2017-03-17 12:04