Doria Pamphilj Gallery

See world-class art in one of Rome’s best private galleries.

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, dating back to the 16th century, is home to the largest and arguably most impressive private collections of art in Rome. Home to masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Velasquez, and Caravaggio and still largely undiscovered by mass tourism, this gallery is an unmissable attraction for any art lover.

Highlights

• See the gallery’s crowning jewel – Velázquez’s realistic Portrait of Pope Innocent X.
• Marvel at masterpieces by the best Italian and international artists of the ages, including two paintings by a young Caravaggio.
• Visit the luxurious apartments and halls of the palace, still home to Doria Pamphilj’s descendants today.

Tickets & Prices

Doria Pamphilj Gallery tickets are valid for one entrance on the chosen date and time of your visit. Tickets must be reserved in advance and can be booked online or at the door. Audioguides in either English, Italian, or French are included in the price of the ticket.

Explore the Doria Pamphilj Gallery at your own pace with one of the tickets below.

• Standard Ticket – Reservation and entry into the gallery, as well as access to private rooms at the palace.

Ticket Information

• Full-price ticket – For everyone over the age of 12.
• Free admission – For children under the age of 12. However, there is a small mandatory reservation fee per child. 

Additional Information:

• The gallery is open from Monday to Thursday from 9 am to 7 pm (last entry 6 pm).
• From Friday to Sunday, the gallery is open from 10 am to 8 pm (last entry 7 pm).
• The gallery is closed on the third Wednesday of each month.
• Please arrive 5 minutes before the start of your visit.

What to See and Do

Your ticket grants you access to the four wings and all the open rooms belonging to the Doria Pamphilj Gallery, as well as some of the rooms of the palace. Here are the highlights below:

The Palace Rooms

A visit to the gallery begins with a walk through a few ornate and luxurious halls of the palace. Notable rooms are The Ballroom, formerly known as the Music Room, which contains silk-covered walls and crystal wall sconces, and a vast hall known as the Poussin Room, decorated with landscapes of the Roman Campagna by Gaspard Dughet, the brother-in-law of Nicolas Poussin.

It’s also possible to visit the Private Princess Apartments, a series of beautifully decorated rooms that are still inhabited by the descendants of the Doria Pamphilj family today. Make sure to peek inside the palace chapel, too, designed by Carlo Fontana, which contains the mummified remains of one of the family’s saints.

The Aldobrandini Gallery (First Wing)

This wing, decorated in a style known as the “Chinese manner” in the 1730s, holds some of the Doria Pamphilj masterpieces. Most notable are the “Aldobrandini Lunettes”, magnificent landscape paintings by Annibale Carracci and some of his students. Paintings by Claude Lorrain hang on the same wall.

The Velázquez Chamber

The most famous painting in the gallery, Diego Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, has its own dedicated room. This portrait was considered controversial for the time because it depicted the pope with such realism that it’s said he cried out: ‘È troppo vero!’ (‘It’s too true!’) upon seeing it.

A more idealized and ‘heroic’ depiction of the pope can be seen in Bernini’s sculptural bust displayed in the same room.

The Hall of Mirrors (Second Wing)

This opulent room, designed in 1730, alternates between ornate gold-framed mirrors and antique statues. The ceiling frescoes illustrating the Stories of Hercules, a hero from whom the Pamphilj family believed they descended, were painted by Bolognese artist Aureliano Milani. 

The Pamphilj Gallery (Third Wing)

This wing, also decorated around 1730, contains several important paintings from the 16th century. One of its rarest pieces is Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s View of the Bay of Naples, proof that the famous Flemish painter was in Italy during the 1550s. 

Not to miss is also Antonio da Correggio’s Allegory of Vice and Guercino’s paintings of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Agnes.

The Aldobrandini Room

This room, once described as a ‘sala pulcherrima depicta’ (the most beautiful painted room), contains paintings by some of the most famous Italian artists in history. Among them are two masterpieces by the young Caravaggio: Penitent Magdalene and Rest on the Flight into Egypt. There is also a double portrait of two mysterious gentlemen by the inimitable Raphael and Titian’s Salome with the head of John the Baptist.

The Doria Gallery (Fourth Wing)

The last wing opens up with a stunning sculptural bust of Olimpia Maidalchini Pamphilj by Alessandro Algardi. Other impressive works are the series of Four Elements painted by Jan Brueghel, son of Pieter, and two paintings on wood panels by Parmigianino.

Map & Directions (Location)

The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is located inside an inconspicuous building in the heart of the city center, on one of Rome’s busiest shopping streets. It’s easy to get to on foot from other nearby sites or using public transport if you are further afield.

• Address: Via del Corso 305, 00186.
• Bus: Lines 51, 62, 63, 80, 83, 85, 119, and 160 stop nearby.
• Metro: Unfortunately, there is no nearby metro station. The closest one is Barberini (12 min. away on foot) or either Spagna or Colosseo (both 16 min. away).
• Tram: Line 8 – Venezia, then walk 5 minutes.

Did You Know That: 5 Interesting Facts

1. The collection consists of over 400 paintings, ranging from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
   
   
2. The Doria Pamphilj family actually consists of several prominent Italian families: Doria, Pamphilj, Landi, and Aldobrandini, united under one surname by marriage and descent.
   
   
3. The paintings are still hung in their original layout dating from the 18th century. We know this thanks to a 1767 manuscript that details their positions.
   
   
4. Members of the Doria Pamphilj family still live in some of the private rooms in the palace. The current heir, Jonathan Doria Pamphilj, is the English narrator on the free audio guide.
   
   
5. The Doria Pamphilj Palace has over 1000 rooms, but only a few are open to the public.

History

• The palace, originally known as Palazzo Aldobrandini, was brought into the Pamphilj family when the widowed Olimpia Borghese (born an Aldobrandini) married Camillo Pamphilj, nephew of the pope.
  
  
• After a period of exile (because the marriage was controversial), they took up residence in the palace and began to expand it in 1654.
  
  
• In 1666, Camillo died, but his sons continued the expansion project with the help of architect Antonio del Grande.
  
  
• In 1671, Camillo’s daughter, Anna Pamphilj, married Giovanni Andrea III Doria Landi, and their descendants eventually inherited the palace and its treasures.
  
  
• Part of the palace was converted into a gallery, and it opened to the public in 1950.
  
  
• Today, the gallery is considered one of the finest private collections in Rome but is far from being considered a tourist ‘hotspot’. Members of the Doria Pamphilj family still live there.

FAQs

Address: Doria Pamphili Gallery, Via del Corso 305, 00186 Roma, Italy · view larger map