Palazzo Barberini: the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome

Updated on October 1, 2026

Palazzo Barberini, on via delle Quattro Fontane, houses part of Rome's National Galleries of Ancient Art, including Raphael's Fornarina and Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofernes. The palace was built from 1625 for the family of Pope Urban VIII by three Baroque architects: Carlo Maderno, Bernini and Borromini. The visit combines paintings from the 13th to the 18th century with the state rooms, including the great hall painted by Pietro da Cortona. The €15 ticket also covers the Galleria Corsini, in Trastevere, for 20 days (prices checked in October 2026). Allow two hours for the palace.

Highlights

The Triumph of Divine Providence

The ceiling of the great hall, painted by Pietro da Cortona between 1633 and 1639, celebrates the Barberini family and the pontificate of Urban VIII; the bees from their coat of arms appear in the centre. Sit on the benches to look at it without straining your neck.

Raphael's Fornarina

This portrait of a young woman in a turban, traditionally identified as the painter's beloved, bears Raphael's signature on the band around her left arm.

The Caravaggios

Judith Beheading Holofernes shows the scene with blunt violence, in the painter's characteristic contrasting light. The gallery also displays Narcissus, attributed to Caravaggio.

Henry VIII by Holbein

The portrait of the English king painted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1540 is one of the best-known images of the monarch, in his wedding clothes.

The two staircases

To the left of the portico, Bernini's square-well staircase climbs to the great hall; to the right, the oval spiral staircase attributed to Borromini, with paired columns, is best photographed from below.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Full price €15 for Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria Corsini (ticket valid 20 days), €12 with a Metrebus card, €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25, free for under-18s and for disabled visitors with one companion; the Galleria Corsini alone costs €8 (prices checked in October 2026). Entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November. Keep your ticket for the Galleria Corsini, at via della Lungara 10, which shows the Corsini family collection in their palace in Trastevere.

How to get there

Via delle Quattro Fontane 13, 00184 Rome. Metro Barberini (line A), a few minutes' walk away; if the station is closed for the line A renovation works, get off at Repubblica or Spagna. Buses 53, 61, 62, 63, 80, 81, 83, 160, 492 and 590.