Rome Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Corsini Tickets

This combined ticket will give you the opportunity to visit two elegant Roman residences: Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Corsini. Both house the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, one of Italy’s most important art galleries. They contain paintings by artists of the calibre of Caravaggio, Perugino, Van Dyck and El Greco. They also host temporary exhibitions of great interest.

The buildings are not close to one another; the first is situated very close to the Quirinal (residence of the President of the Republic), whilst the second is on the banks of the Tiber, near Rome’s Botanical Gardens. Below is a list of the most important works:

• Portrait of Henry VIII, Hans Holbein the Younger – Painted to mark the English monarch’s fourth marriage in 1536. The artist faithfully captures the clothing, sword and jewellery (Barberini)
• The Torture of Prometheus, Salvator Rosa – A harrowing scene in which an eagle devours the belly of the man who dared to steal fire from the gods. The anatomical details stand out for their realism (Corsini)
• View of the Tiber from Castel Sant’Angelo, Gaspar Van Wittel – Paintings of this kind served as ‘tourist attractions’ for foreign travellers in the 17th century. Van Wittel introduced urban views, typical of Dutch painting, to Italy (Barberini)
• The Hare, Hans Hoffmann – A watercolour depicting the animal sitting amidst masterfully rendered plants. The German artist was the court painter to Rudolf II of Habsburg, Holy Roman Emperor (Corsini)
• *Et in Arcadia ego*, Guercino – A masterpiece characterised by a mystical aura. Two shepherds gaze at a skull, a symbol of death, whilst a storm approaches on the horizon (Barberini)

Admission does not include an audio guide, but you can read the descriptions of the works at each branch of the museum. Please note that the Palazzo Barberini is usually closed on Mondays.