DK Travel : Rome

Although functioning as a vibrant, modern capital akin to any in Europe, the unique appeal of Rome is that the entire city is a vast, 3,000-year-old, indoor-outdoor museum. In every quarter you’ll find ancient monuments, art treasures and timeless architecture in churches, galleries and protected ruins. Home to the world’s smallest city, the Vatican, Rome has religion at its heart and history in its soul – a city that dazzles and inspires visitors time and time again.

Palatine Hill

Most European languages derive their word for palace from the name of this hill. All-important in the history of early Rome, first as its birthplace, then as the home of its leaders’s opulent homes, it now serves as a bucolic setting for a romantic stroll (see Palatine Hill Features).

Domus Augustana, Palatine Hill
Palazzo Altemps

This 15th-century palace was overhauled in 1585 by Martino Longhi, who is probably also responsible for the stucco and travertine courtyard (previously attributed to Antonio da Sangallo the Younger or Peruzzi). It now makes an excellent home to one wing of the Museo Nazionale Romano, its frescoed rooms filled with ancient sculptures.
Palazzo and Galleria Spada

This superb 16th-century palace contains a specially built 17th-century gallery to hold the cardinals’s collection of Renaissance, Baroque and later works, including paintings by Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder. One of the high points is Borromini’s whimsical trompe-l’oeil gallery, a clever study in illusory perspective that appears to be four times longer that it really is (see Palazzo Spada).
Palazzo Barberini

The Barberini sold their palace to the Italian State in 1949 to house part of the National Gallery, which was founded in 1893 with the purchase of the Corsini Palace. The number of pictures in the collection now exceeds 1,700 and has been added to through the acquisition of collections from Rome’s noble families over the ensuing years. Among the most famous works are Filippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child , the controversial La Fornarina (supposedly Raphael’s mistress, probably painted by Giulio Romano, his favourite pupil), and Caravaggio’s Judith and Holofernes .
Palazzo Barberini

When Maffei Barberini became Pope Urban VIII in 1623, he decided to build a family palace on the (then) edge of town. Architect Carlo Maderno designed it as an outsize country villa with three floors of arcades. Bernini added the square staircase on the left; Borromini the spiral staircase on the right.
Palazzo Borghese

The oddly shaped “harpsichord of Rome”, begun by Vignola in 1560, was finished with a Tiber terrace by Flaminio Ponzio.
Palazzo Borghese

Called “the harpsichord” because of its unusual shape, this 17th-century palace was once the centre of fashionable entertainments for Rome’s papal high society. Its Mannerist courtyard, in particular, was the stage for lavish affairs. You can peek in to see the oversize statuary, columns supporting the double loggias, and the “Bath of Venus” fountain.
Palazzo Braschi

The last papal family palace built from 1791 to 1811. Cosimo Morelli used a Renaissance design to match the piazza. Inside is a small museum dedicated to Roman history.
Palazzo Colonna

The gallery features work by Tintoretto, Lotto and Veronese.
Palazzo Corsini

Small painting collection, featuring works by Fra’ Angelico, Van Dyck, Titian, Rubens and Caravaggio.