Rome, Italy - March 10, 2014: The Palazzo Barberini facade seen from the entrance garden

©Gim42/Getty Images

Gallerie Nazionali: Palazzo Barberini

Top choice in Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale

LoginSave

Commissioned to celebrate the Barberini family’s rise to papal power, this sumptuous baroque palace impresses even before you view its breathtaking art collection. Many high-profile architects worked on it, including rivals Bernini and Borromini; the former contributed a square staircase, the latter a helicoidal one. Amid the masterpieces on display, don’t miss Filippo Lippi’s Annunciazione (Annunciation; 1440–45) and Pietro da Cortona’s ceiling fresco Il Trionfo della Divina Provvidenza (The Triumph of Divine Providence; 1632–39).

Other must-sees include Hans Holbein’s famous portrait of a pugnacious Henry VIII (c 1540) and Raphael’s La Fornarina (The Baker’s Girl; c 1520), thought to be a portrait of his mistress, who worked in a bakery in Trastevere. Works by Caravaggio include San Francesco d’Assisi in meditazione (St Francis in Meditation; 1606), Narciso (Narcissus; 1597–98) and the mesmerisingly horrific Giuditta e Oloferne (Judith Beheading Holophernes; c 1598–99). Other artistic giants represented include El Greco, Giovanni Bellini, Beccafumi and Perugino.

The museum is part of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, and your entrance ticket includes entrance to another of its properties, the Galleria Corsini in Trastevere.

Transportation

  • metro: Barberini

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Rome Lazio Italy. The Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Raphael rooms frescoes

    Vatican Museums

    1.84 MILES

    Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art…

  • Basilica di San Pietro. Rome. Italy. 160245212 ancient, architecture, basilica, building, capital, cathedral, catholic, church, city, day, dome, egyptian, europe, exterior, facade, famous, front, heritage, historical, history, italian, italy, landmark, monument, obelisk, old, outdoor, peter, piazza, religion, roma, roman, rome, saint, san pietro, sightseeing, sky, square, st peter, street, touristic, travel, urban, vatican, view

    St Peter's Basilica

    1.84 MILES

    In the city of outstanding churches, none can hold a candle to St Peter's, Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica. Built atop a 4th…

  • 568886113 2015; Ancient History; Ancient Rome; Archaeology; Architecture; Capital Cities; City; Copy Space; Day; High Angle View; International Landmark; Italian Culture; Italy; Lazio; Majestic; No People; Old Ruin; Outdoors; Photography; Roman; Roman Forum; Rome; Rome - Italy; Scenics - Nature; Temple - Building; Temple Of Saturn; The Past; Tourism; Travel Destinations; Vertical; The temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, Rome, Lazio.

    Roman Forum

    0.81 MILES

    An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece center, a grandiose district of temples...

  • Farnese Gardens built a top Domus Tiberiana on Palatine Hill at the Roman forum in Rome, Italy.

    Palatino

    1.01 MILES

    Sandwiched between the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo, the Palatino (Palatine Hill) is one of Rome's most spectacular sights. It's a beautiful,…

  • Inside the Colosseum, an amphitheater located in Ancient Rome. 614830518 Lazio, Color Image, Travel Destinations, Horizontal, Panoramic, Famous Place, Photography, Amphitheater, Rome - Italy, Italy, Capital Cities, Roman, Coliseum - Rome, Europe, Monument, Old Ruin, Built Structure, Indoors, Ruin, Innovation, Rome

    Colosseum

    0.9 MILES

    Everyone wants to see the Colosseum, and it doesn’t disappoint, especially if accompanied by tales of armored gladiators and hungry lions. More than any…

  • OCTOBER 3, 2012: Antique marble busts inside the Capitoline Museum. 311817245 hill, italian, nobody, rome, national, sculpture, capitol, italy, travel, statue, european, destinations, culture, landmark, attraction, details, old, roman, historic, figure, famous, interior, inside, classic, exhibit, tourism, art, roma, antique, ancient, indoor, vacation, capitoline, europe, museum, close-up, luxury, human, man, nice, tourist, many, lot, history, stone, marble, head, fine, hellenistic

    Capitoline Museums

    0.79 MILES

    Dating from 1471, the Capitoline Museums are the world's oldest public museums, with a fine collection of classical sculpture.

  • The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved and influential building of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome.

    Pantheon

    0.75 MILES

    With its revolutionary design, this awe-inspiring temple has served as an architectural blueprint for millennia.

  • Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy

    Piazza Navona

    0.93 MILES

    With its showy fountains, baroque palazzi and colorful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase…

View more attractions

Nearby Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale attractions

1. Piazza Barberini

0.08 MILES

More a traffic thoroughfare than a place to linger, this noisy square is named after the Barberini family, one of Rome’s great dynastic clans. It's home…

2. Fontana delle Api

0.09 MILES

Bernini crafted the Fontana delle Api, in the northeastern corner of Piazza Barberini, for the Barberini family, whose crest featured three bees in flight.

3. Fontana del Tritone

0.09 MILES

Dating from 1643, this Bernini-designed fountain piercing Piazza Barberini depicts the sea-god Triton blowing a stream of water from a conch, while seated…

5. Convento dei Cappuccini

0.14 MILES

This church and convent complex safeguards what is possibly Rome's strangest sight: crypt chapels where everything from the picture frames to the light…

6. Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale

0.17 MILES

It’s said that in his old age Bernini liked to come and enjoy the peace of this late-17th-century church, regarded by many as one of his greatest. Faced…

7. Via Vittorio Veneto

0.2 MILES

Curving up from Piazza Barberini to Villa Borghese, Via Vittorio Veneto is the spiritual home of la dolce vita – the Rome of the swinging '50s and '60s…

8. Gagosian Gallery

0.22 MILES

The Rome branch of Larry Gagosian’s contemporary art empire has hosted the big names of contemporary art since it opened in 2007: Cy Twombly, Damien Hirst…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "italy/rome/tridente/attractions/gallerie-nazionali-palazzo-barberini/a/poi-sig/389847/1321004",
  "destination": "Tridente,-Trevi-&-the-Quirinale",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Italy",
  "region": "Lazio",
  "city": "Rome",
  "neighborhood": "Tridente,-Trevi-&-the-Quirinale",
  "position": "superzone"
}