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A Museum Fit For A Pope And A Prince: Rome's Galleria Doria Pamphilj

Where: Via del Corso, 305 , Rome, Italy
August 31, 2009 at 2:09 PM | by | Comments (0)

When art aficionados plan their trip to Rome, they usually fill their itineraries with popular picks like the Musei Capitolini and the Galleria Borghese. And while those places are nothing to sneeze at, they overshadow one of the city's best private museums: the Galleria Doria Pamphilj.

At the Doria Pamphilj, you can cross out two sightseeing items on your to-do list, since you get a top-notch collection of art as well as a palace. The 18th-century palace and its collection are owned by the aristocratic Pamphilj family, who have held numerous important posts in the country, including Pope. One of Pope Innocent X's modern-day descendants, Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj, narrates a great free audio tour of the gallery. He provides a unique intimate perspective, explaining how and why the family acquired some works and which ones are his favorite.

The collection offers a slew of 17th-century works and Renaissance pieces. Since you're in the Pamphilj house, you should see "Portrait of Innocent X" by Velázquez. Another great painting is the haunting "Salome with the Head of John the Baptist" by Titian. Salome has a dreamy expression on her face as she holds John's noggin, his realistic-looking curly hair falling on her skin.

Just don't miss Caravaggio's stunning works: "Rest during the Flight into Egypt," where a weary Joseph holds sheet music for a violin-playing angel, who serenades a glowing Mary and baby to sleep, and "Penitent Magdalen," which shows a weeping, defeated woman all alone.

You also get a peek into some of the roped-off rooms the Pamphiljs used in the palace with the original furnishings. The audio narration revealed a story for a bedroom that almost made us cry: one of the men in the family loved his wife so deeply that after she died, he had a painting of her made for his bedroom so that she would be the first thing he saw every morning (sniff, we're big softies). It sure gives some good context to an otherwise regular, though expensive, old bedroom.

The Galleria Doria Pamphilj is open daily from 10am to 7pm and charges 9 Euro for admission.

Related Stories:
Galleria Doria Pamphilj [Official Site]
· Rome Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: antmoose]

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