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The highest of the original seven hills, the Quirinal was also the enclave of the ancient Sabines (see Rape of the Sabine Women) in Rome’s earliest days. Today, it is graced by 5.5-m (18-ft) Roman copies of 5th-century BC Greek originals of the Dioscuri and their prancing horses. The hill’s stark, imposing palace, Rome’s largest, was built in 1574 as a summer papal residence, to escape the endemic malaria around the Vatican. In 1870 it became the residence of the kings of Italy and, since 1947, Italy’s presidents have held official functions here.

One of the loveliest palaces from the Early Renaissance (late 1400s) – the purity of its façade and courtyard is unparalleled. Several ancient monuments were pillaged to provide the marble and the 44 portico columns inside.

Sublime Renaissance structure, once the Papal Chancellery.

Bernini’s 1670 palace has housed Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies since 1871. The south façade is original; the north is Art Nouveau.

Considered the Renaissance palace par excellence , reflecting the genius of both Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and Michelangelo. Home to one of Rome’s most unscrupulous families, it was commissioned in 1517 by Alessandro Farnese, later Pope Paul III.

One of Rome’s largest palaces is graced by superlative Michelangelo creations, such as the wonderful cornice (see Villa Farnesina).

Based around the 16th-century Medici Pope Leo X’s Renaissance palace, the Baroque façade of unpointed brick and bold marble window frames was added in the 17th century. Since 1870 it’s been the seat of Italy’s Senate, so public admission is obviously limited.

This masterpiece of Baldassare Peruzzi marks the transition of Roman architecture from the High Renaissance of Bramante and Sangallo into the theatrical experiments of Mannerism that would lead up to the Baroque. The façade is curved for a reason; Peruzzi honoured Neo-Classical precepts so much he wanted to preserve the arc of the Odeon of Domitian, a small theatre incorporated into the south end of the emperor’s stadium.

Architect Peruzzi overcame a number of technical problems to build this 16th-century masterpiece. Primarily, he had to follow the curve of the foundations of the ancient Theatre of Domitian. His colonnaded portico is an elegant solution along the street side; the other façade is decorated with monochrome frescoes, known as grisaille .

Housing an extraordinary collection of ancient frescoes, mosaics and sculpture, this branch of the Museo Nazionale Romano is perhaps the most inspiring. The building itself was erected by the Massimo family at the end of the 19th century and later served as a Jesuit college (see Museo Nazionale Romano).