As you might have guessed, I've been in Rome and no visit there is complete without a few stops at private house museums.....which leads us to one of the great collections still in private hands. The Palazzo Colonna is the definition of 'old money', we're talking over 20 generations have owned this palace, which is actually a block of buildings, built over a Roman Serapeaum at the base of the Qurinal Hill.
Just down the street from Trajan's Column the name of the family comes from word column...and they have an amazing example of an antique red basalt one in the first room you enter. I tried to get a pic but alas...there were guards everywhere.....you see being owned by the princely family and open only on Saturday's for a few hours means no pictures. I was able to snap a few pics but they were extremely blurry so the interior shots here are from several books, including Palaces of Rome.
There are three enormously sumptuous rooms on the piano nobile which are a rival to any in Europe. As you walk down three or four stairs separating the first from the center room, you encounter a canon ball which came thru the windows and lodged itself in the very center where it was left.
Glorious mannerist paintings by Bronzino over giltwood tables.
One of only five families in Rome allowed a throne room, the Colonna's have a pope, a saint, several cardinals and a General ....not to mention this beautiful palazzo.
No comments:
Post a Comment