About Palazzo Chigi
The Ducal Palace of Ariccia is a remarkable example of Roman Baroque architecture, preserving its original furnishings and reflecting the grandeur of the Chigi family, a prominent Italian papal lineage and one of the most powerful family dynasties of the era. Sold to the Town Hall of Ariccia in 1988 by Prince Agostino Chigi Albani della Rovere, the palace now serves as a museum and cultural center, hosting concerts, guided tours, conferences, and exhibitions.
Significant restoration efforts took place from 1990 to 1993; the palace opened to the public in December 1999. Since 2009, it has also housed a campus and dormitory for Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences international study program focused on Italian culture.
The Palazzo Chigi, image courtesy of Springer Nature
Originally a 15th-century structure belonging to the Savelli family, the palace was rebuilt in Baroque style between 1664 and 1672 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and his pupil Carlo Fontana. Its understated exterior contrasts with its richly decorated interiors. Today, Palazzo Chigi hosts the Museo del Barocco Romano, featuring collections from the Chigi family.
The Museo del Barocco features numerous notable rooms. For brevity, we will highlight only a select few here.
The Cardinal’s Apartments, located on the Ground Floor, comprise the Antechamber, the Red Bedroom, and several rooms themed around the Zodiac. This apartment served as the residence of Cardinal Flavio, who commissioned the decoration of the vaulted ceilings with birds and zodiac signs.
Images of some of the Cardinal’s Apartments
The Mario de Fiori Room, adorned with embossed Dutch leather hangings produced under a patent in Amsterdam in 1628, served as a winter dining room. It derives its name from the renowned series of paintings titled "The Four Seasons," commissioned from Mario Nuzzi, known as Mario de’ Fiori, who collaborated with several prominent artists active in Rome during the 1600s. This series is considered a cornerstone of genre painting. Originally housed in the Roman palace at Santi Apostoli, the residence of Cardinal Flavio I, the canvases were transferred to the Chigi Palace in Piazza Colonna and later to Ariccia after 1917.
The Mario de Fiore Room
The Green Room
The Green Room is named for the distinctive color of its leather hangings, fabric, and furnishings. At its center is a canopy bed in the “duchesse” style, complemented by a chest of drawers from the late 18th century on the back wall. This room was part of the Russian apartment, formerly accommodating Princess Maria Bariatinsky, who was exiled from Russia following the 1918 revolution. The walls are adorned with various portraits inherited from Leonilla Bariatinsky, mother of Antonietta Sayn Wittgenstein-Chigi.
One of the most memorable rooms in the palace is the Summer Dining Room, which is adorned with illusionistic paintings by Annibale Angelini in the mid-1800s that showcase a pergola featuring various animals and nature. These wall paintings were commissioned for the wedding of Mario Chigi and Antonietta Sayn Wittgenstein in 1857.
Accessible through the “scala maestra,” the east wing housed Prince Chigi's apartment, centered around this dining room. Divided into two sections by an arched arcade, the space includes a loggia and the dining area. The room features leather wall hangings from Rome in the portion of the room not painted by Annibale Angelini. Originally used for summer and autumn dining, the room also hosted theatrical events in the 17th and 18th centuries. An elliptical fountain, designed by Carlo Fontana around 1670, is situated under an arch.
The Summer Dining Room
The Master Hall is part of the original 16th-century construction, highlighted by a grand fireplace made of "peperino" stone, adorned with caryatids and heraldic symbols of the Savelli, attributed to Girolamo de Rossi. This principal room of the palace is currently used for concerts, meetings, and conferences.
The upper walls feature large canvases by Giuseppe Cesari, known as “Cavalier d’Arpino,” depicting angels and serving as preparatory sketches for the mosaics of the dome in St. Peter's Basilica. Above the fireplace hangs "The Blessed Giovanni Chigi," a masterpiece by Giovanni Battista Gaulli, known as “Baciccio,” created in 1672. This work was originally located in the palace of Cardinal Flavio at Santi Apostoli before being moved to the palace in Piazza Colonna.
The Master Hall
The Chapel, courtesy of the Liturgical Arts Journal
The Chapel within the Main Hall features 17th-century furnishings and is adorned with exquisite wall hangings made of flocked leather with minced velvet, crafted by Agostino Nespola in 1673. This is a unique example of its kind known to date.
On the left wall hangs a renowned sanguine drawing by Bernini, depicting St. Joseph with the Child, inscribed and dated 1663. This work is emblematic of Bernini's contributions to Ariccia. Described by Stanislao Fraschetti as "very curious for its originality," the depiction of St. Joseph and the Child in this pose is quite rare, particularly prior to the Counter-Reformation.
The Red & Yellow is named for the color of its damask hangings. The coffered ceiling in white and blue dates back to the Savelli phase in the late 1500s, was decorated by Camillo Saracini, along with the frieze featuring Chigi Borghese symbols around 1663.
Central to the opposite wall is a terracotta bust by Melchiorre Caffà, depicting Alexander VII. This bust inspired two bronze replicas now housed in the Cathedral of Siena and the Metropolitan Museum of New York.
Also along this wall are two remarkable wall tables carved with cornucopia and oak leaves by Antonio Chicari, designed by Bernini in 1663. These tables exemplify the naturalistic style that emerged in the decorative arts during the Baroque period.
The Red & Yellow Room
The Landscape Room was painted by Sigismondo Chigi (1735-1793) in the late 18th century, with guidance from his librarian, Ennio Quirino Visconti, who later became the curator of antiquities at the Louvre. They were both experts in Neoclassical painting.
Unfortunately, the room suffered significant damage during World War II. On June 2, 1944, the monumental bridge was bombed during the German withdrawal from the Lanuvio front, resulting in the collapse of the ceiling and the plaster on an entire wall.