At home with the Roman A list

The palace is still a private residence. Rattling around its vast gilded rooms are Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilj, his sister, Gesine, and their respective families.

The story of Rome is the story of families. The Borghese, the Farnese, the Colonna, the Barberini, the Pamphilj, the Chigi — all vied with one another for influence and power. They plotted to make family members cardinals, and broke out the bubbly when one of their number went on to become pope.

Built by the most famous architects of the day and decorated by the most illustrious artists, their palaces still loom over the Roman streets, full of ghosts and secrets, artistic masterpieces and enough gilt to pave the autostrada from Rome to Florence. Many have found new lives as government buildings or museums and galleries, but some are still in private hands — and, like the great houses of England, a few of these have opened their doors to the public, revealing rarely seen art treasures, some of Rome’s most sumptuous private spaces and the domestic settings of the city’s grandest families.

Here is our pick of Rome’s private palaces — the gaffs where cardinals entertained their mistresses, where Raphael came to paint and where the pope dropped in for tea.

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

Larger than many royal palaces, the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj contains one of the finest collections of paintings in private hands. On walls crammed with famous artists — Claude Lorraines, Caravaggios, Titians, a Filipo Lippi, a Bronzino family portrait — don’t miss one of the world’s most famous paintings: Velazquez’s Pope Innocent X, which inspired Francis Bacon’s “screaming pope” series.

Innocent was famously dominated by his mistress — his widowed sister-in-law, Donna Olimpia. The “Papessa” reputedly made a fortune selling church offices, and was accused of poisoning cardinals to create new vacancies. When Innocent died, it is said she hid the corpse in a corner while she cleared the papal palaces of treasure. Algardi’s bust of her, at the far end of the gallery, portrays a thoroughly nasty piece of work.

In adjoining private rooms, viewed from behind velvet ropes, modern life has infiltrated the Louis XIV formality: comfy sofas, bookshelves, family snaps on the mantelpiece and a forgotten mobile phone on a sideboard.
Details: Via del Corso 305; 00 39-06 679 7323, www.doriapamphilj.it; open daily, 10am-5pm, private rooms closed Fri and Sat; admission £9. Regular concerts are held in the palace — see the website.

Palazzo Farnese

The finest example of high Renaissance architecture in Rome, Farnese is the palace that sex built. Cardinal Alessandro Farnese owed his position and wealth to the beauty of his sister Giulia “la Bella”, lover of the Borgia pope Alexander VI. The architect, Sangallo, died during construction — inconvenient for him, but a boon for posterity, as Michelangelo completed the job. Architectural historians rave about his third floor. The interiors are even better than the magnificent facade. An atrium leads past fine Roman busts into a gorgeous courtyard, but the real joy is the Carracci ceiling in the Cardinal’s Gallery, which portrays the loves of the pagan gods in scenes of voluptuous cavorting. It may be sacrilege to say so, but I prefer it to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

The family doesn’t live here any more, but the French ambassador does. In 1936, the wily French talked Mussolini into swapping the Farnese for the infinitely inferior Hôtel de Galiffet, in Paris.
Details: Piazza Farnese; 06 6889 2818, france-italia.it; guided visits Mon and Thu, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm, closed mid-July to September; free. Bookings should be made 1-4 months in advance; email visite-farnese@france-italia.it. Include your name, passport number, available dates and preferred language (French or Italian only).

Palazzo Colonna

One of the oldest Roman families, the Colonna came to the city as medieval barons, and dominated papal and Roman politics for eight centuries. They boast a family pope, a small battalion of cardinals and the illustrious Marcantonio, one of the admirals at the battle of Lepanto, against the Turks. As late as 1939, a Colonna prince was mayor of Rome. The family still live in the palace.

Every Saturday, the galleria and three of the grand palace rooms are opened to the public. Among the Poussins, the Tintoretto, the Veronese and a famous Carracci painting are family portraits. Look out for the victorious Marcantonio, in a ruff that would have strangled lesser men, and the beautiful Vittoria Colonna, a poetess and radical thinker who enjoyed a long and passionate friendship with Michelangelo.

As with most Roman palaces, there is a throne room. The idea is that when the pope drops in for tea, he must have a throne in order that he can receive you, rather than the other way around. The real idea, of course, was to let other visitors know that they were in the kind of place where the pope might pop in.
Details: Piazza SS Apostoli 66; 06 678 4350, www.galleriacolonna.it; open Sat, 9am-1pm, closed August; £9. The Princess Isabella Apartments are open for groups by appointment (£13).

Villa Medici stands in the Villa Borghese Gardens (Emanuela de Santis)

Casino Dell'Aurora

Still occupied by elderly aristocrats, the Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi, opposite the presidential palace, is closed to the public, but the garden pavilion, known as the Casino dell’Aurora and built in the early 17th century, is open on the first day of every month. Ring the bell and a flunkey will usher you into one of the most enchanting spaces of Rome. There’s an intimate garden, a grotto and the pavilion — designed by Vasanzio, who was responsible for the Villa Borghese. On the facade are marvellous relief panels salvaged from ancient sarcophaguses. Inside is Guido Reni’s ceiling fresco of Aurora scattering flowers in front of the chariot of Apollo — and, through the open window, one of the greatest views of Rome.
Details: Via XXIV Maggio 43; 06 8346 7000, casinoaurorapallavicini.it; open on the first day of every month, 10am-noon and 3pm-5pm; free.

Villa Farnesina

Built at the beginning of the 16th century, La Farnesina was a pleasure palace for Agostino Chigi, banker to the popes. Chigi was famous for his parties, where guests ran amok through the palace and gardens. Just so everyone knew how rich he was, the servants threw the gold and silver tableware out of the window into the Tiber. When the family suffered economic meltdown in the 1570s, the Farnese bought the palace.

The frescoes on the ground floor were all designed by Raphael. The famous ceiling painting is the usual classical thing: naked people getting to know one another. Galatea in her seashell chariot was painted by Raphael himself. Upstairs, there are 16th-century views of Rome in the grand Hall of Perspectives, while in Agostino’s bedroom, Sodoma — so named for his sexual tastes — painted the wedding night of Roxana and Alexander the Great, in which the lovers are being disrobed by enthusiastic cherubs. The gardens are glorious, and the perfect respite from the hubbub of Trastevere. Just across the street is Palazzo Corsini (galleriaborghese.it), which has another fine collection of paintings.
Details: Via Lungara 10; 06 6802 7267, villafarnesina.it; open Mon-Sat, 9am- 1pm; £4.

Villa Medici

This magnificent Renaissance villa stands on the heights of the Pincio, in the Villa Borghese Gardens, enjoying one of the most famous views of Rome. Bought by Napoleon from the Medicis in 1803, it is now home to the French Academy, whose alumni include Ingres, Fragonard, David, Debussy and Berlioz.

The villa was Cardinal Medici’s attempt to show Romans why his home town, Florence, was the centre of the Renaissance. It is grand, elegant and just a little showy. Galileo was imprisoned here during the Inquisition, Velazquez loved and painted its gardens, and Queen Christina nearly blew the place apart when she tried firing one of the cannons of the Castel Sant’Angelo across the river. She forgot to point the barrel upwards. Her cannonball now sits in the fountain by the entrance.
Details: Viale Trinita dei Monte 1; 06 67611, villamedici.it; guided tours daily at 10.45am, 11.45am, 3pm, 4pm, 5.15pm and 6.30pm; £8. See the website for details of concerts and exhibitions.

Stanley Stewart travelled as a guest of Citalia

You can fly to Rome from 11 UK airports, as well as Dublin and Cork. British Airways (0844 493 0787, ba.com) flies from Heathrow and Gatwick. Other airlines include EasyJet (easyjet.com), Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com), Jet2 (jet2.com), Alitalia (0871 424 1424, alitalia.com) and Aer Lingus (0818 365044, aerlingus.com).

Where to stay
The Rome Cavalieri is owned by one of Italy’s greatest private collectors, and famous works fill the rooms (00 39-06 35091, romecavalieri.com; doubles from £307, B&B). It can arrange private tours of the palaces; its restaurant, the three-Michelin-starred Pergola, is one of the best in Italy (six courses from £154). More modest is Arco dei Tolomei, in a palazzo in Trastevere (06 58 320819, bbarcodeitolomei.com; doubles from £189, B&B).

Tour operators
Citalia (0800 232 1802, citalia.com) has three nights in July at the Cavalieri from £679pp, or four at the three-star Hotel Augustea from £239pp. Or try Italian Expressions (01752 878075, expressionsholidays.co.uk), or Kirker (020 7593 1899, kirkerholidays.com).