Photo: user:Lalupa, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Historic villa / palace
Palazzo Colonna
Palace in Rome, Italy
- Within the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura”
At a glance
- Style
- Baroque architecture
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 41°53′51″ N, 12°29′03″ E
- Address
- Piazza Santi Apostoli, 66 - Roma
History and description
The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings in central Rome, Italy, at the base of the Quirinal Hill, and adjacent to the church of Santi Apostoli. It is built in part over the ruins of an old Roman serapeum, and it has belonged to the prominent Colonna family for over twenty generations.
History
The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante during his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinals Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Pope Martin V in 1417.
Following his death, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of Pope Julius II. The Colonna family's alliance to the Habsburg power likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).
Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639), many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed, one facing Piazza SS. Apostoli and the other facing Via della Pilotta. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery) and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of the gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti, with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza SS. Apostoli), was constructed and recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.
Colonna Art Gallery
The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew, the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna. It includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). An Apotheosis of Martin V was painted by Benedetto Luti. There are frescoed apartments completed after 1664 by Crescenzio Onofri, Gaspard Dughet and Pieter Mulier II (nicknamed "Cavalier Tempesta"). Other rooms were frescoed in the 18th century by Pompeo Batoni and Pietro Bianchi.
The older wing of the complex, now known as Princess Isabelle's apartments, but once housing Martin V's library and palace, contains frescoes by Pinturicchio, Antonio Tempesta, Crescenzio Onofri, Giacinto Gimignani, and Carlo Cesi. It also contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like Gaspard Dughet, Caspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), and Jan Brueghel the Elder.
Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavicini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Palazzo Colonna».
Photos
Getting there
Roma TerminiTrain, nearest
1.6 km as the crow flies
Palazzo ColonnaPiazza Santi Apostoli, 66 - Roma
Aeroporto di Roma-Ciampino14.2 km
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Lazio
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Palazzo Colonna?
Palazzo Colonna is in Rome, in the province of Roma (Lazio), Italy. Address: Piazza Santi Apostoli, 66 - Roma. GPS coordinates: 41.89764, 12.48421.
What else is there to see near Palazzo Colonna?
Nearby you’ll find: Rome Wax Museum (100 m away), Palazzo Valentini (100 m away), Temple of Serapis (100 m away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Trevi - palazzo colonna e basilica santi apostoli 01 — user:Lalupa, Public domain
- Palazzo Colonna - panoramio — Vadim Zhivotovsky, CC BY 3.0
- Palazzo colonna, giardini 11 — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Palazzo colonna, veduta di via della pilotta dal cavalcavia — Sailko, CC BY 3.0
- Roma - Palazzo Colonna - 2024-09-03 17-44-59 001 — Fabior04, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roma - Palazzo Colonna - 2024-09-26 22-03-29 001 — Parsifall, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Santi apostoli palazzo colonna 051204-03 — Lalupa, Public domain
- Trevi - via della Pilotta e palazzo Colonna 1000074 — Lalupa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Trevi - via IV novembre e palazzo colonna 01 — Lalupa, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences