ROME, ITALY – Quirinal Palace in Rome will be open to the public longer hours beginning June 23, president Sergio Mattarella said Tuesday. The palace will open every day except Mondays and Thursdays, and guided tours will be doubled in length, he said.
The Quirinal Palace overlooks the entire historic center of the Italian capital and is seen by many as the most beautiful building in the city. Its 1,200 rooms house a priceless heritage of 261 rare tapestries, furniture, paintings, sculptures and historic carriages.
The late 16th-century palace was once a papal headquarters, housing about 30 popes (the last being Pius IX). At over over 110,000 square meters, it is one of the largest palaces in the world in terms of surface area (the White House is 20 times smaller). The main section revolves around a stately courtyard where heads of state on official visits are received.
The president’s apartment is on the opposite side and farther from the main entrance, at the end of an extension of the building known as the “manica lunga” (long sleeve). The palace’s famous gardens run along the side of the “sleeve”.
The Quirinal is immense with its grand halls sumptuously decorated and filled with statues and busts telling the story of more than four centuries. One highlight is the Pauline Chapel, which boasts the same architectonic characteristics and proportions as the Sistine Chapel.
The Quirinal has what is held to be a world-class collection of tapestries, as well as paintings, statues, carriages, clocks, furniture, priceless porcelain, and glass and crystal chandeliers throughout the property – including one measuring a record six meters in height and four across.
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