Museo di Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

About the museum

When in 1651 Camillo Pamphilj bought the fief of Valmontone from the Barberini, he planned a true “Pamphilj city”, an ideal city inspired by Renaissance models. In 1652 the old Sforza castle was almost entirely demolished, and in 1654 work began on the new palace, completed around 1670. The original design is due to the Jesuit Benedetto Molli, while from 1666 the building site was continued by Antonio Del Grande. The building, compact and in a single block, lies midway between the noble residence and the fortified type.

Since 2003 the palace has housed the Museo di Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, which includes an archaeological section on the ground floor and a historical and artistic route on the piano nobile. The archaeological section presents finds and models of the sites that emerged during the preventive excavations for the high-speed railway line, with objects of everyday life and production dated from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD. Among the most important pieces are the sarcophagus of Colle Vallerano, from the 3rd century AD, the tufa sarcophagus of Colle Salomone, from the 4th–3rd century BC, and the so-called pectoral of the girl from a tomb at Colle dei Lepri.

On the piano nobile is preserved a cycle of frescoes executed between 1658 and 1661, one of the most significant examples of mid-17th-century Roman painting. The vaults depict allegories of the four Elements and the four Continents, with works by Pier Francesco Mola, Gaspard Dughet, Guglielmo Cortese, Francesco Cozza, Mattia Preti, Guillaume Courtois and Giambattista Tassi. The Salone del Principe was painted by Dughet with illusionistic architecture and landscape views.

Highlights

• Sarcophagus of Colle Vallerano (AD 260–280)
• Tufa sarcophagus of Colle Salomone (4th–3rd century BC)
• Pectoral of the girl from Colle dei Lepri
• Rooms of the Elements frescoed by Preti, Courtois, Tassi and Cozza
• Salone del Principe frescoed by Gaspard Dughet
• Small rooms of the Continents, with the only Pier Francesco Mola frescoes in Valmontone

Permanent exhibitions

• Sezione archeologica – Finds and models of sites excavated before the construction of the high-speed railway line, from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD, with two notable sarcophagi.
• Sezione storico-artistica al piano nobile – Cycle of 17th-century frescoes with the allegories of the Elements and the Continents, and the Salone del Principe by Gaspard Dughet.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Comune di Valmontone

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission to the museum and the guided tour are free.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, on Piazza Umberto Pilozzi in Valmontone.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

The palace is the municipal venue for civil ceremonies: free weddings in the council chamber or, for a fee, in the Stanza dell’Acqua or the Salone del Principe. Other spaces can be made available for meetings, conferences, courses, exhibitions and concerts, on request to the Ufficio Cultura at least fifteen days in advance.

Plan your visit