Updated March 2023
Rome has no shortage of beautiful art museums, but one of my favorites must be the Doria Pamphilj Gallery on Via del Corso.
The main gallery is made up of four golden hallways that surround a small courtyard filled with trees.
However, the entire palazzo is much larger. You see, the Doria Pamphilj family does not mess around.
The palace, and thus naturally the gallery, are still privately owned by the old Roman noble family.
Though the main gallery only takes up four hallways, it can be hard to know where to start.
Every inch of space seems to be taken up with oil paintings dating back to the 16th century, gilt edges, frescoes and marble busts.
We even stumbled upon an concert being played for a group of students. The flute and guitar music fluttered through the gallery as we slowly wandered through the space, stopping to peer into mirrors and admire the art.
There are actually regular concerts at Doria Pamphilj Gallery, so be sure to check here for more information.
But even though the gallery is dead in the center of Rome, on the city’s main shopping thoroughfare, the art museum remains fairly undiscovered and quiet.
The sparse crowds affords plenty of time to admire the works by Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Brueghel.
However, the gallery’s most famous painting is certainly the Portrait of Innocent X by Diego Velazquez. Some claim that this is the best portrait of anyone ever painted. It has its own dedicated room so that you can go and judge for yourself.
The pope was the uncle of Camillo Pamphilj, so the gallery also includes a large collection of his furniture as well as art from his personal collection.
But you don’t have to be an art historian to enjoy Galleria Doria Pamphilj.
Simply look up. Then side to side.
The beauty is everywhere.
If the gallery doesn’t seem like enough, you can also book a tour of the apartments here (in Italian). You can book tickets to the galleria here to reserve an entry time. If they are fully sold out, you can find tickets on GetYourGuide and Tiqets for around €20 instead of €15.
Doria Pamphilj Gallery
Via del Corso, 305
Rome, Italy (Centro Storico)
Open every day from 9 am to 7 pm (last entrance at 6 pm).
Tickets are €14 + €1 to reserve
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Love this museum–second only to the Galleria Borghese, in my view, and also home to my favorite Caravaggio, Rest on the Flight into Egypt.
I remember this place! Thanks for the article.
The art collection in the Doria Phamphilj is simply stunning: Titian, Velazquez, P.Bruegel the elder, Raphael, Claude, Domenichino and so many more. A fantastic place for lovers of Old Master paintings in a setting so much more glamorous than those of public museums and galleries. Only grand British stately homes, like Chatsworth, come close to the Doria Phamphijl.
This collection was amazing! We stumbled upon the Doria Phamphilj purely by accident, but what a happy accident!