Palazzo Farnese, nowadays the seat of the French Embassy in Rome, was commissioned by Alessandro Farnese (1468-1549).
A brief history of the Palazzo Farnese in Rome
Construction
Farnese had originally bought an existing building at this site in 1495. Antonio da Sangallo the Younger started construction of what is now the Palazzo Farnese in 1514. In 1534, when he became Pope Paul III, Farnese had the building enlarged, in order to underline the status and power of his family. In 1546, Michelangelo took over. In 1569, several years after Michelangelo’s death, it was the turn of Vignola Vignola. Giacomo della Porta finally finished construction in 1589.
Michelangelo redesigned the third floor, added the cornice and designed the courtyard. Giacomo della Porta designed the facade on the other side.
Originally the Tiber could be seen from the rear side of the building. Michelangelo had also planned to construct a walkway that would connect the Palazzo Farnese with the Villa Farnesina across the river. Only the first part of this walkway was built, and still exists, in the form of an arch over the Via Giulia.
After the Farnese
After the Farnese family moved to Parma, the palazzo remained uninhabited for 20 years. The new inhabitant, Sweden’s Queen Christina, turned out a rather irreverent tenant, allowing her servants to steal objects and even demolish parts of the building.
After the family became extinct, the Bourbon family from Naples acquired the Palazzo. This explains how several important Palazzo Farnese art collections ended up in Naples’ National Archeological Museum and Capodimonte Museum.
Although some French ambassadors had had their residence in the Palazzo Farnese since the 16th century, it did not become the official French Embassy in Italy until 1874. The year after, the Ecole Française de Rome, which keeps the famous Farnese Library here, was also established in the building.
Later the state of France first acquired the building and then sold it back to the Italian state. At the moment (since 1936) there is a reciprocal rental agreement in place whereby the French Embassy will stay in the Palazzo Farnese for 99 years, as will its Italian counterpart in Paris, both for a negligible sum of money.
What to see
Exterior
The facade facing the square is characterized by the irises (the coat of arms of the Farnese family) on the cornice and near the Michelangelo-designed loggia.
Above the facade, a large coat-of-arms with papal tiara is visible. It is flanked by the coats of arms of his grandsons Ranuccio and Alessandro Farnese.
The facade on the Via Giulia side has three rows of arches in the central section. An inscription tells us that construction of the palace was finished under Alessandro Farnese.
The atrium was designed by Sangallo and consists of three naves, separated by red granite columns.
The courtyard is characterized by a portico supported by thick pillars. Thinner Doric half-columns are placed against the pillars. The bays of the first floor above the portico are separated by Ionic half-colums, the ones of the second floor by Corinthian pillars. The portico is graced with sarcophagi taken from the Baths of Caracalla and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella.
A hallway at the end of the courtyard leads to the sottoportico of the rear facade. The sottoportico is graced with statues and Roman architectural elements placed in alcoves.
Interior
The Cardinals Ranuccio, Alessandro and Odoardo Farnese, descendants of Pope Paul III, entrusted the decoration and design of the interior to the major artists of the time.
The most famous part of the building is the ceiling of the Gallery on the piano nobile, which was frescoed between 1597 and 1604 by Annibale Caracci. He was assisted by his brother Agostino, together with Domenichino and Giovanni Lanfranco. The overriding theme of the frescoes is the “Triumph of Love over the Universe”. The “Triumph of Bacchus and Arianna” covers the central vault. Among the other couples depicted are “Jupiter and Juno”, “Venus and Anchise” and several more. The gallery has a length of 20, and a width of 6 meters.
Daniele Da Volterra was also responsible for several frescoes in the palace.
Tapestries with reproductions of the frescoes in Raphael’s Rooms in the Vatican Museums adorn the Great Hall (Salone). The large statues on either side of the fireplace (“Excess” and “Peace”) were sculpted by Giacomo della Porta.
The Sala dei Fasti Farnesiani was painted with frescoes by the Zuccari brothers and by Francesco Salviati.
What to know before your visit
Opening hours and admission (2025)
The building can only be visited with a guided tour. The visit includes Sangallo‘s atrium, the courtyard and the garden, the Salone d’Ercole and Caracci‘s hallway.
Tours take place on Mondays at 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00 and on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 16:00 and 17:00. The visit lasts 45 minutes. Minimum age is 10. Admission: 15 Euros for adults, free for children up to 6 years of age.
On Tuesdays at 17:00 in English, and on Thursdays at 17:00 in French and Italian, the visit also includes the basement. The price of a combination ticket (Palazzo Farnese + basement) is 20 Euros for adults, free for children younger than 6.
On Fridays at 17:00, the visit to the palazzo includes the Ecole Française de Rome. The combination ticket (palazzo + school) is 22 Euros.
Mandatory reservations, at least 7 days in advance, can only be done through the official Palazzo Farnese website. On the day of your visit, you need to be there 30 minutes beforehand, for the security check. Bring a valid ID.
The tour of the palazzo takes 60 minutes. With the basement included, this becomes 90 minutes.
How to get there
Address: Piazza Farnese, 67 – Rome (tel. +39 06 686011). There are no metro stops near the piazza (yet). It is best to take bus 64 and get off at Corso Vittorio Emanuele/Navona (lines: 46, 62, 64, 916, 916F, n46, n98 and n904).
Sources
- “Touring Club Italiano – Roma”.
- Vincent Drago, “The Sights of Rome”.
Photos
©renatoprosciutto, except “Jupiter and Juno”, which is in the public domain.
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