Palazzo Chigi, Ariccia

The ducal palace of Ariccia is a unique example of a Baroque residence that has remained unchanged in its environmental context and original furnishings, documenting the splendor of one of the greatest Italian papal houses: the Chigi family, former owners of the homonymous Roman palace, now the seat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Started in the second half of the sixteenth century by the Savelli family, the palace was transformed on commission by the Chigi into a lavish Baroque residence between 1664 and 1672 based on a design idea by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was assisted by his young pupil Carlo Fontana.

The palace boasts an important collection of paintings, sculptures, and furnishings, mainly dating back to the 17th century, also coming from other family residences, including the same palace in Rome, sold to the state in 1918. The Chigi Collection is located on the Piano Nobile of the palace.

The palace serves as a museum of itself and a center for multiple cultural activities (exhibitions, concerts, guided tours, conferences, etc.).

In 2008, the “Roman Baroque Museum” of Palazzo Chigi was opened to the public, born from an idea of the scholar Maurizio Fagiolo Dell’Arco who passed away in 2002.

The museum, consisting of an important collection of paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, is located on the mezzanine floor, west wing. All the works were donated, mostly between 2002 and 2008.

Almost 300 works on display confirm the guiding role of Palazzo Chigi as a scientific reference not only for Roman art of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, given the particular coherence, homogeneity, and systematic nature of the assembled collections, but with a national and international openness due to the presence of artists from various origins.

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