Quirinal Palace

The Quirinal Palace stands on the Quirinal Hill, the highest of Rome’s seven hills. It occupies a site used since ancient times, when Romans built temples to Flora and Quirinus and later imperial baths. The palace itself was begun in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII as a summer residence away from the Tiber’s unhealthy air. Ottaviano Mascherino designed its first wings around a small Carafa villa, later expanded by Carlo Maderno and Francesco Borromini. The result is a vast complex of 1,200 rooms arranged around a grand courtyard. The palace has served thirty popes, four kings and twelve presidents. Napoleon chose it as his imperial residence but never lived there after his defeat in 1814. After Rome became the capital in 1871, it became the royal residence of Italy’s kings. Today it is the official workplace of the Italian president, though some heads of state prefer to keep their own Roman homes. Its façades, chapels and gardens reflect successive centuries of power and art. Visitors enter through the Staircase of Honour, a double-ramp design that once led directly to papal apartments. The Great Hall of the Cuirassiers, once the throne room, now hosts state ceremonies. The Pauline Chapel, built to the same scale as the Sistine Chapel, still holds concerts and elections. The Yellow Room shows traces of Napoleon’s alterations, while the Hercules Room displays Savoy tapestries. Beyond the buildings lie 17th-century gardens where ancient mosaics and Roman foundations can still be seen.