...Palaces & Movie Sets


Palazzo Brancaccio was the last patrician palace to be built in Rome. Its parklike setting near Roman ruins, centuries-old gardens and fountains provides a movie-perfect setting for the palace which hosted many extravagant parties when American-born heiress Mary Elisabeth Field and her husband, Prince Salvatore Brancaccio constructed it on the site of a former convent in the late 1800s. Its opulent interior décor remains as sumptuous now as it was then – elegant tapestries, carpets, delicate chandeliers brilliantly dressed in Murano glass, rich brocade, fine lace and frescoes adorn rooms graced with beauty and history. Works by painter Francesco Gai cover the surfaces of each room with a variety of painted and sculpted decoration. The room that was originally the Princess Brancaccio’s bedroom is painted with scenes that feature the goddess Venus. Gai also designed elaborately decorated fireplaces, chimneys, cabinetry, mirror frames and even candlesticks.


Our royal tour stops next at Palazzo Colonna, comprised of many different wings built up over the course of centuries in a multitude of styles. Built in the 15th century with refurbishments in the 18th century, it is still a private home today – 20 generations of the Colonna family have resided here over the past 900 years. One of the most spectacular features of these buildings is the art gallery built by Antonio del Grande in the 17th century. Look up, and you’ll see ceiling frescoes by Giovanni Coli and Filippo Gherardi celebrating the victory of Marcantonio Colonna in the 16th-century Battle of Lepanto; see masterful works by Ghirlandaio, Poussin, Tintoretto, Cortona and Guercino. You will most certainly recognize the Sala Grande as the room where Audrey Hepburn met the press in Roman Holiday.


Tour Palazzo Colonna, owned by one of Rome’s finest families (top), one of many sites featured in the filming of Roman Holiday


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