Galleria Colonna

Authentic jewel of the Roman Baroque, the Galleria Colonna was commissioned in mid 1600 by Cardinal Girolamo Colonna and his nephew Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. It was inaugurated by the son of Lorenzo Onofrio, Philip II, in the year 1700.Il original project of 'the Great Architect Antonio; was then integrated, in the last decades of the 1600s, by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Paul Schor Carlo Fontana.

From the first moment, the gallery was conceived as a large boardroom, which were to celebrate the victory of the Christian fleet over the Turks at the battle of Lepanto in 1571.

Marcantonio II Colonna was the real victor of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571: it's just that he has been given the entire decoration of the Gallery. This historical event is so important is depicted in the frescoes of the Great Hall, and their glory is due to the skill of painters such as Coli and Gherardi. Date back to the eighteenth century frescoes in the Hall of Passages, with the wonderful "Allegory of the battle." The Sala della Colonna, then, is a true celebration of Marcantonio II and his apotheosis. Is there anyway to say that the entire gallery was designed to be viewed itself as an artistic jewel: the painting masterpieces are countless and the fact that we have made use of estrus by Tintoretto, Guido Reni, Pietro da Cortona and many others. The ancient marbles and the frames from the vague and sensual baroque flavor complement the superb collections of the Colonna family. Very interesting, in the context of this apartment, I finally chests in the Hall of steps, really beautiful and precious, a treasure chest of wood and precious stones (a real triumph of the working ebony and ivory).

The other true marvel of Galleria Colonna is undoubtedly the apartment of the Princess Isabelle. In practice, a wing of the building which dates from the fifteenth century and which still suffers from important residence of Pope Martin V, who lived here until 1431.'s Main attractions this apartment is definitely aroused by the frescoes of Bernardino Betto, a painter who is best known as Pinturicchio, capable of making the Hall of the fountain is a true masterpiece. In the '500 Cardinal Borromeo was instead to stay in these rooms, the period of maximum splendor and prestige for the building: the greatest artists and painters of that time passed here and breathed the air of baroque salt. It should also Gaspard Dughet and Carlo Cesi the vast and rich decoration of the next period. Even the Nordic painting finds a suitable placement in this apartment: the paintings of Brueghel the Elder and the views of Van Wittel were preciously guarded jealously and today and benefit from all the visitors. The name of the stems from the fact that the Princess Isabelle Colonna lived here until 1984: the grandchildren wanted to dedicate to his memory this wing so refined and important past.