060608 - Discover and buy tourist services, cultural offers and shows in Rome
You are in: Home » Culture and leisure » Cultural heritage » Architectural and historical heritage » Palazzo Madama (sede del Senato della Repubblica - Parlamento)

Palazzo Madama (sede del Senato della Repubblica - Parlamento)

Typology: Buildings

Address

Address: Piazza Madama
Zone: Rione S. Eustachio (Senato-Corso Rinascimento) (Roma centro)

Contacts

Telephone: 06 67061 (centralino) - 06 67062177 (visite guidate)
Web site: www.senato.it/virtualtour/ (Visita virtuale)

Opening times

The calendar of tours of Palazzo Madama is suspended.

For further information please write to visitealsenato@senato.it or call 06 6706 2177.

Dates of opening to the public are subject to change, even at very short notice.
It is advisable to check them on the website of the Senate of the Republic www.senato.it/visitareilsenato/privati together with the access procedures provided from time to time. Usually (unless otherwise indicated) you must collect your ticket at the Piazza Madama 11 entrance on the day the museum opens to the public. Each visitor may request, subject to availability, a maximum of four tickets for adults and one ticket for minors.

The visits, free of charge and lasting about 40 minutes, are supervised by Senate staff, who illustrate the main historical, artistic and institutional aspects of the state rooms and the most evocative places in Palazzo Madama.
Please note that it is not possible to book tickets in advance and that the Senate has not entrusted the promotion and organisation of the visits to any tour operator.

For further information please call 06 67062177 or write to visitealsenato@senato.it

Description

The ground where Palazzo Madama was built was transferred in 1478 from the monks of the Imperial Abbey of Farfa to France, which was looking for a place to accommodate French pilgrims to Rome.
The first major transformation of the palace took place when it came into the possession of the Medici family. Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and the future Pope Leo X, decided to buy it in 1505. The palace was restored to a design by Giuliano di Sangallo and what was left of Giovanni de' Medici's library was moved there after the Medici were driven out of Florence. On the death of Leo X in 1521, Palazzo Madama was assigned to his cousin Giulio de' Medici, who had lived there for a long time before ascending to the papal throne as Clement VII. In 1534 the building was inherited by Alessandro de' Medici. When Alessandro de' Medici died in 1537, it was granted in usufruct to his wife Margaret of Austria, known as the "Madama" (from whom the palace takes its name), the natural daughter of Charles V and Duchess of Parma and Piacenza, who took up residence there.
In the seventeenth century, considerable renovation work was carried out that gave the building its current appearance: a Baroque façade, designed by Paolo Marucelli and completed in 1642, and the interior, under the direction of Romano Monanni, was enriched with decorated ceilings and friezes.
In 1737, on the death of Grand Duke Gian Gastone, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany passed from the Medici to the Lorraine, and with it Palazzo Madama. The palace underwent further transformations under Benedict XIV, who bought it from the Lorraine family in 1755 and turned it into the seat of the Governorate. The palace underwent major renovations: a second courtyard was opened where the Aula is today, and the square in front of the façade was redesigned by Luigi Hostini.
In the second half of the 19th century, during the pontificate of Pius IX, the Ministry of Finance was transferred here.
In February 1871, the building was chosen as the seat of the Senate of the Kingdom and then further remodelled to adapt it to its new function.
Palazzo Madama currently houses the Chamber, some parliamentary groups, the offices of the Presidency and the General Secretariat, as well as some services and offices more directly connected with parliamentary activity.

VISIT THE SENATE (FOR SCHOOLS)
www.senato.it/visitareilsenato/scuole

VISIT THE SENATE (BODIES AND ASSOCIATIONS)
www.senato.it/visitareilsenato/enti

Last checked: 2023-07-26 14:50