The Palazzo Primoli is a historical building in the Ponte district in Rome. It houses no less than two museums: The Museo Napoleonico (ground floor) and the Mario Praz Museum on the third floor.
Palazzo Primoli Rome
Address, opening hours and admission
Address: Piazza di Ponte Umberto I, 1 – Rome. The building itself cannot be visited.
History and description
The Palazzo Primoli was constructed in the 17th century, by the family Gottifredi, who sold it to the Filonardi (end of the 18th century). Around 1829 it was finally acquired by Luigi Primoli.
The palazzo was completely reconstructed in the early 20th century, as a result of the new walls that were to be built in order to keep the Tiber from flooding. The architect Raffaele Ojetti had the old facade facing the Piazza dell’Orso destroyed. A huge new entrance was built on the Via Zanardelli side, the building was made taller and a new facade was created facing the Piazza di Ponte Umberto.
Napoleon Museum
In 1927 Giuseppe Primoli donated the entire ground floor, including the collection of works of art and Napoleonic paraphernalia to the city of Rome. Apart from the Museo Napoleonico‘s collection, the interior itself, and especially the original ceiling fresco’s are well worth a view.
Mario Praz Museum
As of June 1st 1995, the Museo Mario Praz, wholly dedicated to the works of art acquired in the Roman flea markets and antique stores by this collector, is to be found on the 3rd floor of the Palazzo Primoli.
Library
Apart from the two museums the Fondazione Primoli and the Primoli Library (over 30,000 volumes) can be found in the Palazzo.