Millions of tourists visit the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel every year, but only a small number of them enter the gilded halls of Rome’s most exclusive landmark – the Colonna Palace, writes the Associated Press. The private house museum is in the center of the city, but its owners stick to their secluded lifestyle, keeping the paintings, sculptures, busts, tapestries and the 76-meter Great Hall of the Baroque palace away from prying eyes. Doors open to small groups of 10 people led by art historians for a few hours on Friday and Saturday mornings.
It is not intended to be a museum to be commercialized
“We cannot have mass tourism. This is not our wish,” said Elisabetta Cecchini, a restorer at the palace, adding that the reason visitors are allowed in is that art dies when there is no public appreciation. “It’s not meant to be a museum to be commercialized.”
The heir to the family, Don Prospero Colonna, still lives there and rarely gives permission for events such as the launch of Pope John Paul II’s book in 2005 and an exhibition of Catholic fashion attended by designer Donna Versace and Vogue magazine’s Anna Wintour. Both events were rare occasions in which journalists were granted access.
Claudio Strinati, a former director of Rome’s museums, supports the palace’s relative isolation, calling it “undoubtedly one of the greatest artistic legacies of mankind” and something the family has an obligation to protect.
“They were not intended as tourist attractions,” he said. “Rather, they are made for those who have a certain understanding of history.”
More about the Colonna Palace
Since the 12th century, the palace has belonged to the Colonna family, part of the “black aristocracy” – the Roman families who remained loyal to the Pope and the Papal State when the Italian army took over the city in 1870 to create a united nation. They hang black flags outside their palaces to show that they are in mourning.
For two centuries Colonna maintained a trust that ensured that the valuable works of art in the palace will remain there forever. Princess Isabella Colonna is known for saving the family treasures. She fled Rome when the Nazis invaded, but not before ordering all the artwork to be “crammed into one wing of the building, the entrances of which were walled off,” Cecchini said. The soldiers could not find them.
Today, the interior reveals a history of power and privilege. In the Throne Room, a portrait commemorates Odone Colonna, who became Pope Martin V in 1417 and made the palace the papal residence for a decade. The frescoes on the ceiling of the Great Hall depict the exploits of another Colonna predecessor, Commander Marcantonio, who won a naval battle in the 16th century that turned out to be a turning point for the future of Europe.
“We can say that Colonna cannot exist without Rome, but even Rome cannot exist without Colonna,” said Patricia Piergiovanni, director of the palace’s gallery, in the orange-tree-lined courtyard. “As one of the great families, they have contributed a lot.”
With Princess Isabella’s blessing, the Great Hall, with its masterpieces set amid marble columns and glittering chandeliers, became the setting for the final scene of the 1952 classic Roman Holiday. In the role of a beloved princess, Audrey Hepburn then addressed foreign journalists and answered the question: which city of her long European tour did she like the most? After a few diplomatic maneuvers, she stopped. “Rome,” she said firmly. “Without a doubt, Rome. I will cherish the memory of my visit here as long as I live.”
Source: Actualno
