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Palazzo Farnese

Historic site · Regola, Italy

The Farnese family's Roman palace, now the French Embassy and the seat of the École française de Rome. Entry is by guided tour only, in Italian, French or English, with tickets sold only through the palace's official visits site from 90 days ahead until 5 days before, a maximum of 8 per transaction, personal, non-refundable and non-transferable unless the flexible ticket is bought. Palazzo Farnese: Monday 15.00, 16.00 and 17.00; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 15.00 and 16.00. Palazzo Farnese with the Sotterranei: Monday 17.00 in Italian, Tuesday 17.00 in English, Thursday 17.00 in French. Palazzo Farnese with the École française de Rome: Friday 17.00. Tickets are 15 euro, 20 euro with the Sotterranei and 22 euro with the École française; free for children up to 6. Visitors present themselves 30 minutes before their slot with the original of the same identity document used at purchase, identity card or passport only. There is no cloakroom; trolleys, luggage and backpacks may not be brought in, women's handbags may; no photography inside, and phones are kept on silent and not used for calls. Groups are a maximum of 33, and 25 for the Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 17.00 visits. Accessible to visitors with disabilities except the École française de Rome and the Sotterranei, which are also closed to children under 12 and to visitors with motor disabilities. Phone 06 686011.

History

Alessandro Farnese, later Paul III, commissioned the palace in 1513. Work began in 1514, was halted by the Sack of Rome in 1527, resumed in 1541 and was completed in 1589, under four architects in sequence: Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, then Michelangelo between 1546 and 1549, then Vignola between 1569 and 1573, then Giacomo della Porta. The Galleria Carracci was painted by the brothers Annibale and Agostino Carracci. The palace's official visits site dates the work 1597–1608 and describes a vault of 20 metres frescoed with subjects from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The palace has housed the Embassy of France since 1874 and, from the following year, the École française de Rome. The Sotterranei opened to the public on 29 May 2024 and hold two black-and-white mosaic pavements, one of sea animals and monsters, one of circus acrobats on horseback, the desultores. Puccini set the second act of Tosca in this palace.

Visit

Piazza Farnese 67, 00186 Roma RM

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