Presidenza della Repubblica Presidenza della Repubblica

"The World in Rome in the Frescoes of the Quirinale"

Temporary tour itinerary

11 April - 13 July 2025

Starting from the 11th of April, the Presidency of the Republic will launch a series of special tours linked to the exhibition titled “Global Baroque. The World in Rome in Bernini’s Century”, hosted at the Scuderie del Quirinale from the 4th of April to the 13th of July 2025.

 

The tours will be primarily dedicated to one of the highlights of the Quirinale Palace, the Great Hall of the Cuirassiers, where it will be possible to admire the extraordinary cycle of frescoes dating back to 1616 and eternalizing ambassadors coming from Africa, Asia and the Near East, who were received in Rome by Pope Paul V in the early 17th century. Through the frieze in the Great Hall of the Cuirassiers – which, at the time, was called the Royal Hall – the Pontiff intended to entrust to history the vivid portraits of ambassadors who had traveled to Rome from far-away countries, driven by the need to meet with the Pope and thus become more closely acquainted with the Catholic world, albeit for different reasons. The habitual repertory of allegories typical of monumental decorations was upstaged by the innovative representation of a series of royal and contemporary personalities who the Romans had seen parading in pageants through the city only a few years or months earlier. The ambassadors portrayed were at the same time the actors and the audience of this refined show, as they were featured while looking onto the grand papal hall with curiosity and amazement, while many of them looked toward the entrance to the Chapel and therefore toward the spirituality of Christianity which was – or was hoped to be – the real purpose of their lengthy voyages.

The tour will continue through the Pauline Chapel and the adjacent rooms, which were once used as the quarters for the Pope’s high-ranking guests. Visitors will then be guided to the suite of halls down the Alexander VII Gallery, which unfolds over approximately 70 meters and is decorated with frescoes painted under the direction of Pietro da Cortona, the topmost representative of Baroque painting. The visit shall come to a close when walking down the 16th century Mascarino Staircase, a structure that was also a source of inspiration for Francesco Borromini.

Opening days: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Tour starts: 2:45 PM

Duration of tour: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Cost: 2.50 euros

Visitors shall have to show up 15 minutes before the start of the tour and carry a valid ID.

Should the personal data relative to the name of the visitor indicated at the time of the booking not coincide with the data on the document, the visitor shall be denied access.

Photo gallery

Photo gallery