Palazzo Colona

About

Palazzo Colonna, facing Piazza Santi Apostoli in Rome, is the palace of the Colonna family, described by the gallery itself as one of the largest and oldest private palaces in Rome. The family's presence on the site predates the year 1000, and Oddone Colonna, elected Pope Martin V in 1417, resided here until 1431. The family still lives in the palace today. Its centerpiece, the Galleria Colonna, was begun in 1654 by Antonio Del Grande for Cardinal Girolamo I Colonna, resumed by Girolamo Fontana in 1693 and inaugurated in 1703. Called a jewel of Roman Baroque, it holds Annibale Carracci's The Bean Eater (1584-1585), while a French cannonball from the fighting of 1849 remains embedded in the grand staircase. The gallery opens on Friday and Saturday mornings, with private visits by reservation on other days.