Palazzo Venezia
Address
Contacts
Opening times
Museo Nazionale di Palazzo Venezia
Every day, admission starting every hour from 9.30 to 18.30
Giardino Grande di Palazzo Venezia
Every day, from 9.30 to 19.30 (last entrance at 18.45)
Description
This building is considered to be the most important civil building of the 15th century in Rome, with three orders of windows, battlements on the ledge and a massive tower. It was the residence of the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo, later to become Pope Paul II (1464-1471), who commissioned it to be built between 1455 and 1468 by using the travertine marble from the Colosseo and the Teatro di Marcello. The palace was extended to its present form by Cardinal Lorenzo Cybo and became the residence of the cardinals of San Marco and the Pope's residence. In 1564, Pope Pius IV Medici transferred part of the Palace to the Repubblica di Venezia ( from whom it takes its name), which hosted its embassy there until 1797. Following the Napoleonic period, from 1814 to 1916 it hosted the Austro-Hungarian diplomatic representation.
Between 1909 and 1911 the part called Palazzetto S. Marco was destroyed, to allow a view of the Vittoriano from Via del Corso, and rebuilt in its present position on Piazza S. Marco. Between 1929 and 1943 Palazzo Venezia was the seat of the Chief of Government and the Gran Consiglio del Fascismo : from its "historic balcony" Mussolini delivered his famous speeches. Today the palace hosts the museum of the same name. It should also be noted that part of the building also includes the Basilica di S. Marco and in the corner between the Palazzo and the Palazzetto there is the marble bust of "Madama Lucrezia", one of the famous Roman speaking statues.
To visit inside: Sala Regia, Appartamento Cibo, Sala Altoviti, Passetto dei Cardinali and Appartamento Querini, Palazzetto, Giardino grande, Scalone d'onore, Sottotetti, marciaronda and the altana.