Bucket list experience:
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Rome’s most impressive private art collection houses paintings and furniture assembled since the 16th century by the Doria, Pamphilj, Landi and Aldobrandini families.
The main collection is displayed in the state rooms (and chapel) of the lavish Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, still privately owned by the princely Doria Pamphilj family.
The audio guide, wittily narrated by Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj himself, offers an endearing way to understand life as the heir to one of Rome’s greatest families.
Look out for Velazquez’s superb, psychologically penetrating portrait of Cardinal Giovan Battista Pamphilj, a weak man who rose to the papacy as Innocent X in 1644; it’s one of the Spanish artist’s masterpieces and the gallery’s star exhibit.
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Destination Guide >The nearest metro stations are Colosseo (Line B) and Piazza Barberini (Line A); it’s about a 5- to 10-minute walk from each.
It’s recommended you book tickets via the website before you go.
Audio guides are available in Italian, English and French and are included in the ticket price. The website has a helpful section highlighting and explaining the masterpieces on display; worth a browse before you go. They also have an intriguing section on family history, that shows the key events and personalities of these important Rome families’ history over the last 500 years.
The gallery is open all year round, seven days a week. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays hours are extended until 8pm. It’s closed 3rd Wednesday of the month and on major holidays.
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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first
Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.6 miles]
An intimate luxury hotel secluded on a quiet street, just above the heart of ancient Rome, with a delightful rooftop garden.
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Sophisticated yet approachable, this boutique hotel offers edgy Roman street art, a hip cocktail bar-cum-co-working space, and an enviable central location a stroll away from Rome’s A-list sights.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.8 miles]
Intimate and exclusive 14-suite boutique bolthole, with a unique fashion theme, close to all the major sights and with a lovely roof terrace overlooking the city.
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Rome, Lazio, Italy[0.9 miles]
A great value, sleek hotel in a former palazzo that blends old with new, in unbeatably convenient location near Piazza Navona.
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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience
Lazio, Italy
The Eternal City – 2,000 extraordinary years of glory, greatness and triumph – and decadence, murder and destruction – evidenced by some of the world’s most iconic, must-see monuments and museums.
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