Barberini Palace (via delle Quattro Fontane)
This is one of the most important examples of Roman baroque, begun in 1625 by Carlo Maderno with the help of Boromini, according to the desires of Urban VIII, the Barberini pope. After Maderno's death, Bernini was given the post and in 1633 completed the palace. The central building is flanked on both sides by two wings of three levels,extending on each end as far as the ornate vistas from the loggia. Bernini's facade is stupendous: Doric in the porticles and arcades, Ionic on the first floor, and Corinthian on the topfloor. Since 1949 the palace has contained the National Gallery of Antique Art.

Borghese Palace (Piazza Borghese)
Known by the name "Cembalo" ("harpsicord") because of its strange shape, it was begun in 1560 according to the design of Vignola for Cardinal Borghese, who became Pope Paul V in 1605. The works were finished by Flaminio Ponzio at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Until 1891 it contained the art collection of Cardinal Borghese, now exposed in the Borghese Gallery (see chart).

Chigi Palace (Piazza Colonna)
Built in 1580 for the Aldobrandini family, it passed into the hands of the Chigi family in 1659. It has five floors, a beautiful courtyard decorated with a fountain, and a broad stairway that leads to the living rooms. It housed the Austrian ambassador from 1915, then the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Since 1961 it has been the headquarters of the President of the "Consiglio."

Colonna Palace (Piazza Santi Apostoli)
This is one of the largest and most sumptuous palaces of Rome, built by commission of Martino V in the fifteenth century and completely restructured in 1730. The Church of the Holy Apostles was a part of the palace and together with the Colonna Gallery is open to the public. The Gallery was begun by Antonio del Grande in 1654, followed by Girolamo Fontana in 1671. It was inaugurated by Filippo Colonna in 1703. The collection includes paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Tintoretto, Veronese, Brill, Rosa and Carracci.

Corsini Palace (via della Lungara, 10)
Built in the fifteenth century by Cardinal Domenico Riario, it became the residence of Queen Cristina of Sweden, who died there in 1689. It was rebuilt in the seventeenth century in the baroque style by Fuga, for the Corsini family . Acquired by the State in 1883, it is the site of the Lincei Academy and contains the Corsini Collection, with works by Caravaggio, Rubens and Van Dyck.

Doria Pamphili Palace (via del Corso)
This building from the fifteenth century was built for the cardinals of the diocese of Santa Maria and inhabited by the Della Rovere, the Aldobrandini and the Pamphili before becoming the property of the Doria family. The Doria-Pamphili Gallery, one of the most beautiful in Rome, includes works by Tiziano, Tintoretto, Correggio, Raphael, and others.

Farnese Palace (Piazza Farnese)
This is one of the most beautiful Renaissance palaces of Rome. Begun in 1514 by Antonio da Sanagallo the Younger for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, the future Pope Paul III, it was continued in 1546 by Michaelangelo, who was responsible for the side wings, large windows, frontal cornices, and the two superior rows of columns in the courtyard. Finally, it was completed by Giacomo della Porta in 1589. Since 1871 the palace has housed the French Ambassador.

Lateran Palace (Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano)
Papal See until 1309, year of the Avignon exile, it was destroyed by fire in the fourteenth century. In 1586 Sixtus V charged Domenico Fontana with the reconstruction of the palace. He gave it the present structure, with three monumental vistas and a vast courtyard with three levels of arches. Together with the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, it belongs to the Vatican and has the privileges of extraterritoriality. Presently it is the headquarters of the Roman Vicarate.

Quirinale Palace (Piazza del Quirinale)
Begun in 1573 by Martino Longhi, by commission of Pope Gregory XIII, its construction was continued by Maderno, Bernini, Fontana and, in the eighteenth century, by Ferdinando Fuga. In 1592 it was the residence of Clement VIII and, later, of other pontificates. From 1870 it was the headquarters of the King of Italy and since 1947 as been the official residence of the President of the Republic. The main entrance, the Sala Regia, and the Paolina Chapel are by Maderno; the Chapel of the Annunciation is decorated by frescoes by Guido Reni; the gallery of Alessandro VII is decorated by frescoes completed under the direction of Pietro da Cortona; the vast courtyard is the work of Fontana.

Palace of Expositions (via Nazionale 194)
Built according to the design of Pius Piacentini at the end of the nineteenth century, it hosts exhibits of ancient and contemporary art, film festivals, and theatre productions. It also contains a bookstore, shop, bar, and restaurant.

Palace of Montecitorio (Piazza di Montecitorio)
Designed by Bernini for Innocent X, the building was begun in 1650 and finished in 1694 by Carlo Fontana after several interruptions. The name derives from the location, "monte accettorio" (literally, "welcoming hill"), where the centurians of ancient Rome gathered to vote. Since 1871 the palace has housed the Chamber of Deputies. The semicircular hall where the Chamber assembles was designed by Ernesto Basile and panelled with oak. Inaugurated in 1918, it is in need of renovation and of a new facade in Piazza del Parliamento.

Madama Palace (Corso del Rinascimento)
Built by the Medici in the sixteenth century, this building derives its name from Madame Margherita of Austria, the illegitimate daughter of the Emperor Charles V, who married first Alessandro de'Medici and then Ottavio Farnese. The palace has a beautiful sixteenth-century facade, the work of Maruccelli and Cardi, and beautiful rooms with frescoes and various decorations. It has been the headquarters of the Senate since 1871.

Massimo alle Colonne Palace (Corso Vittorio Emanuele)
Built between 1532 and 1536 by Baldassare Peruzzi, for the nobleman Pietro Massimo. The original convex facade follows the curves of an earlier "domiziana" construction, on which the palace foundation rests. The ornate stucco portico is interesting, though deteriorating. Its columns seem to to bend under the weight of the building. Little

Farnesina Palace (Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 168)
A stupendous Renaissance palace begun in 1523 according to the plans of Antonio Sangallo the Younger and finished in 1546, it was constructed for the French prelate Thomas le Roy. Le Roy was the intermediary between Francesco I, King of France, and Pope Leo X. The facade that faces Corso Vittorio Emanuele was designed by Enrico Gui in the twentieth century. Now the building is the property of the city of Rome and houses the Baracca Museum, with sculpture from the Egyptian, Assyrian-Babylonian, Phoenicean, Etruscan, Greek and Roman periods.

Senatorial Palace (Piazza del Campidoglio)
Built by Giacomo della Porta and Girolamo Rainaldi at the end of the sixteenth century, this is the central part of an architectural complex envisioned by Michaelangelo for the Piazza del Campidoglio. Even the double stairway that preceeds it is in Michaelangelo's style, including a fountain with an ancient statue of Minerva, who came to represent the Roman Goddess. Today the Palace is used as the City Hall.

Spada Palace (Piazza Capo di Ferro)
An elegant building created by the architect Giulio Mazzoni between 1540 and 1550 for Cardinal Girolamo Capodiferro, it later became the property of Cardinal Bernardino Spada. The stonework of the facade is decorated with flowers, medallions, and statues, while the courtyard with its porticos is ornately decorated in fantastic and mythological figures. To the left is the Spada Gallery, a small gathering of paintings divided into four rooms, with works by Guido Reni, Guercino, Rubens, Giovan Battista Gaulli and an unfinished painting by Tiziano. Today the Palace is used as the State Council Offices.

Venezia Palace (Via del Plebiscito)
This was the first large Renaisssance palace built in Rome, built in 1455 by Cardinal Pietro Baro, future Pope Paul II. It was first the Papal headquarters, then Embassy of the Venetian Republic, then given to Austria and finally to the Italian State. Austere as a fortress, with Guelph battlements, a tower on one corner and the facade marked in horizontal bands, it typifies in its sombre appearance the harmony of Renaissance construction. On one floor is the Museum of the Venetian Palace, a collection of medieval art, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and other artifacts.

Pantheon (Piazza della Rotonda)
This is the most well-preserved monument of ancient Rome, built in 27 B.C. by Marco Vipsanio Agrippa and rebuilt in its present form under the rule of the Emperor Hadrian between 119 and 128 A.D. The building has a circular plan with an entranceway (Greek prònaos) held up by 16 columns in grey and pink granite, decorated with Corinthian capitals. Inside one can admire the immense panelled dome, 43.3 meters in diameter, with an "eye" at the center (9 meters across), the only opening through which light can enter; the niches separated by columns and a passageway that leads along the edge of the cornice-works around the inside of the dome. The tombs of two Italian kings, Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, and that of Raphael, with an inscription by Bembo, are conserved within.