Private Palazzo Barberini Museum Tour with Art Historian Guide

Palazzo Barberini Museum Private Tour Description

Your 2-hour private tour includes:

• Admission to the Palazzo Barberini

• Tailored private tour of the Museum's collection and architecture

• See Caravaggio's Judith Beheading Holofrenes, Raphael's La Fornarina, and so much more

• Your own personal guide with an expertise in art history

Meet Your Guide in Piazza Barberini

Your experience begins in Piazza Barberini, home to Bernini's great 17th-century Triton Fountain as well as the grand family palace you'll explore today. Your guide will talk you through some of the most impressive external architecture and introduce you to the history of the palace before you head inside.

Enter the Ornate Palace of the Barberini Family

One of Rome's most important aristocratic families, the Barberini reached the apex of power with the election of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini as Pope Urban VIII. Formerly a minor Tuscan noble family, the Barberini needed a downtown palace to portray and lead their newfound influence.

To construct Palazzo Barberini, the family went through three of Italy's great architects. From Carlo Maderno and his nephew Francesco Borromini to the final touches by the aforementioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini, your guide will point out the stamp each of these great artists placed on the palace finally completed in 1633.

Grand Staircases by Bernini and Borromini

As you enter the majestic palace, your eyes will head to the great staircases that rise towards the sky above. These two staircases were created by Bernini and Borromini—two iconic artists and also fierce rivals during the Renaissance era. Decide which style of elaborate staircase is your favorite as your guide tells of the reasons why they despised each other so much.

The Works of Caravaggio

Once you head up one of the stairwells, you'll reach the incredible collection of paintings that brings art lovers from across the world to the Palazzo Barberini. Though Caravaggio's works can be found across Italy and beyond, the Barberini arguably holds Caravaggio's greatest masterpiece among others.

Stand up close and observe the painstaking detail of Judith Beheading Holofrenes. With his patented use of the chiaroscuro, Caravaggio creates a vividness and power of realism which was unmatched until the advent of photography. Besides the bloody biblical scene, Caravaggio's Saint Francis in Meditation and Narcissus are found in the collection. Learn about Caravaggio's turbulent life and career that led to genius, murder, and controversy.

Raphael, Canaletto, and Henry VIII

As you explore the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, your guide will lead you to amazing works including the Renaissance master Raphael's La Fornarina. Full of theories on who the subject of the painting is, thoughts range from a witch to Raphael's muse and lover.

The great collection also holds great works from across eras and some from outside of Italy, including the iconic portrait of Britain's King Henry VIII by Holbein. You'll also enjoy a collection from the most famous Italian landscape painter of them all, Canaletto. Before postcards, the wealthiest travelers would pay Canaletto and others to paint scenes of Venice, Florence, Rome, and Vesuvius with them included...kind of like a 17th-century Instagram post!

After a couple of hours exploring the best of the museum, your guide will say goodbye and leave you to enjoy the rest of your day in Rome. Don't hesitate to ask for recommendations—our guides know this city better than anyone!