The prestigious Palazzo Chigi is a well-preserved baroque residence in the central square of the city of Ariccia in the Alban Hills near Rome. It is not to be confused with the Palazzo Chigi in Rome itself. Part of the building (the ground floor, and big parts of the first and second floors) is used as a museum.
A brief history of the Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia
The original Palazzo Chigi was built in the 16th century, by the Savelli family. In 1661, the Savelli sold the feud of Ariccia to prince Giuli Chigi. The Chigi were an extremely powerful family and one of the dynasties that produced a considerable number of Popes. They commissioned their house architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini to design a new palace, with the help of Carlo Fontana. They also had the Piazza di Corte constructed.
The Palazzo Chigi was donated to the city of Ariccia in 1988, by Prince Agostino Chigi Albani della Rovere.
Several scenes of the famous movie Il Gattopardo by Luchino Visconti were filmed in the Palazzo Chigi.
Museum
The Chigi Palace, which was constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (with the help of Carlo Fontana), nowadays houses a museum hosting many exhibitions and also organizing concerts, guided tours, etc. There have been hardly any changes to the building since the day it was constructed and most of the furnishings also are still the same as they were more than 4 centuries ago.
The works of art were mostly taken from the Palazzo Chigi in Rome, sold by the family to the Italian State in 1918.
Cardinal’s Rooms
The west wing of the ground floor of the museum is taken up by an apartment known as the “Cardinal’s Rooms”. Seven of these rooms date back to the Savelli period, while the remaining four were constructed under the Chigi. The Cardinal was Flavio Chigi, who commissioned the decoration on the vaults with birds and zodiacal signs, attributed to Pietro Mulier aka “il Tempesta”, probably after an idea by Bernini. The signs only included the spring and summer months, because the family spent the rest of the year in Rome itself. In the course of the centuries, the palace remained the summer residence of Chigi cardinals, and in the 20th century of Ludovico Chigi, Grand Master of the Knights of the Order of Malta.
It later became the residence of other Chigi Cardinals, Flavio II and Flavio III, and in the 1900s it was des-tined to Ludovico Chigi, Grand Master of the Knights of the Order of Malta. In 1988, Agostino Chigi Albani della Rovere sold the palazzo to the city, although he kept use of the apartment until 1999.
Parco Chigi
The palace has an immense (28 hectares) 16th century park attached to it, containing, apart from an impressive variety of plants and trees, fountains and several archeological ruins, including those of the “nemus aricinum“, which was consecrated to the Goddess Diana. (At the moment, the park cannot be visited because of restoration works. It is not known when it will reopen.)
Originally the park was meant to be a “barco“, or an area for hunting, but later it was developed into a garden, with contributions by Bernini and Fontana, including the Piazza del Mascherone (“Square of the Big Mask”), the Snow Cave and the Fountains of the Mask.
Other features include the Aviary, which hails from 1628 and was constructed by the Savelli‘s, and a monument that was taken from the Appian Way and rebuilt here in 1997.
Opening hours Chigi Palace and Park
Not the entire Palazzo Chigi is open to the public. The Piano Nobile (second floor) can be visited every day except Monday and guided tours are given at 11 AM, 4 PM and 5.30 PM during the week and at 10.30 AM, 11.30 AM, 12.30 PM and 4, 5, 6 and 7 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. In the winter (October 1, March 31) the weekend 7 PM is replaced by a 3 PM tour.
The Rooms of the Cardinal Flavio Chigi (main floor) and the exhibit areas of the Baroque Museum are open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays only. The hours are 10:00 until 12.30 PM and 15:30 until 18:00.
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