Galleria Corsini

About the museum

The history of Palazzo Corsini begins in 1511, with the building commissioned by Cardinal Raffaele Riario on land along Via della Lungara. Between 1659 and 1689 the palace became the residence of Queen Christina of Sweden, who held her intellectual circle there and had the collection of statues arranged on the ground floor and the picture gallery on the piano nobile. Traces of that period remain in the Alcova della Regina.

In 1736 the property passed to the Corsini family, after the election to the papal throne of Lorenzo, who became Pope Clement XII. The family commissioned Ferdinando Fuga to restructure and enlarge the palace with a mirror-image wing and a central body with a monumental staircase, joined by the façade on Via della Lungara; the garden, which climbs towards the Janiculum, is today the Orto Botanico di Roma.

The Corsini lived in the palace until 1883, when Prince Tommaso sold the property and donated the entire collection to the Kingdom of Italy, helping to create the first Italian national gallery. Today the gallery, on the first floor, preserves the atmosphere of an intact eighteenth-century picture gallery; it is part of the Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica together with Palazzo Barberini, with which it shares its ticket. Part of the palace houses the Accademia dei Lincei, and the Corsini print collection forms the oldest nucleus of the Istituto Nazionale della Grafica.

Highlights

• Picture gallery still intact, with its 18th-century hanging
• Masterpieces by Beato Angelico, Rubens, Van Dyck, Murillo and Ribera
• Alcova della Regina, from the time of Queen Christina of Sweden
• Palace of Ferdinando Fuga with monumental staircase
• Combined ticket with Palazzo Barberini

Permanent exhibition

• Quadreria Corsini – Eighteenth-century picture gallery on the first floor with paintings by Beato Angelico, Rubens, Van Dyck, Murillo and Ribera.

Operated by

Ministero della Cultura – Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica (Barberini Corsini)

Visitors per year

approx. 50,816

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of the month and on the special days of 25 April, 2 June and 4 November; booking is recommended on these occasions.

The full combined ticket Galleria Corsini + Palazzo Barberini costs €15. Free admission also for school groups and accompanying teachers from the European Union (with booking), students and teachers of art and humanities faculties, employees of the Ministry of Culture, ICOM members, tourist guides and accredited journalists. The Palazzo Barberini Pass gives unlimited entry for one year to Palazzo Barberini and the Galleria Corsini.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Barrier-free entrance. The gallery is on the first floor, reached by a wheelchair ramp and a panoramic lift; the rooms are all on a single level. A wheelchair is available on request. Dogs are not admitted, except guide dogs and dogs with a pet-therapy certificate.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The gallery is at Via della Lungara 10, in Trastevere.

Amenities & dining

• Coat check
• Lockers

Bags, large backpacks and umbrellas must be deposited; trolleys and luggage are not admitted (lockers of 40 × 38.5 × 36 cm).

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

The Gallerie Nazionali offer spaces for events.

Plan your visit