Galleria Nazional d'Arte Antica in Barberini Palace

Frommer's Review

High on a hill overlooking the valley, this palace was the work of both Bernini and Borromini, another landmark of papal patronage. It contains half of the National Gallery of Art, the other half found at the Corsini Palace in Rome. Today this palace houses Roman statuary found in the ruins, plus Etruscan artifacts (like urns) as fine as those in Rome's Villa Giulia. But worth the trip itself is the Nile Mosaic, a well-preserved ancient Roman work and the most remarkable ever uncovered. The mosaic details the flooding of the Nile, a shepherd's hunt, mummies, ibises, and Roman warriors, among other things. The museum also contains an array of paintings from not only Italian artists, but Dutch and Flemish works. The collection is mainly from the 13th to the 16th centuries, with works by Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Lorenzo Lotto, Andrea del Sarto, Perugino, Caravaggio, Canaletto, Raphael, and Caravaggio. The most dazzling room is the Gran Salone, with its illusionist ceiling frescoes by Pietro da Cortona.

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