Palazzo Venezia

Located just off the centrally located Piazza Venezia, the Palazzo Venezia is a sober Renaissance building that houses artistic elements dating from the beginning of the Common Era to the early Renaissance.

The building

Palazzo Venezia

Visiting the Palazzo Venezia

Built in the fifteenth century as a residence for Cardinal Pietro Barbo, the Renaissance building of Palazzo Venezia later functioned as a papal residence< and as the Embassy of the Republic of Venice.

In 1797 it fell into French hands, but in 1916 it became property of the Italian state. It was converted into Mussolini’s headquarters during the Fascist era.

Exhibitions

The museum mainly displays the collections of Pope Paul II (Pietro Barbo), the building’s first inhabitant. There are also pieces from the Castel Sant'Angelo, the museum of the Collegio Romano or the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica.

In the palace you can find many different items, from Renaissance paintings to polychromatic wood sculptures, tapestries, weapons, armour, and terracotta sculptures.

Yet another mansion

In Rome there are several preserved mansions where, as in the Palazzo Venezia, you can see works of art from centuries past.

To visit them all would be both foolish and a waste of time. The city has much more to offer visitors, and the Palazzo Venezia should not be among the ones chosen for a visit.