VILLA BONAPARTE

Villa Bonaparte, home of the French Embassy to the Holy See, opens its doors to the public.

One of the most famous “secret places” in Rome, the Villa was described by the writer Lady Sydney Morgan in 1820, as such: “Of all the villas owned by the Borghese family, only one offers English charm, French elegance and Italian taste combined in the happiest manner: the Villa Paolina Bonaparte.” Built in 1750 at the behest of Mantuan Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, Secretary of State to Pope Benedict XIV, it was acquired in 1816 by Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon´s sister and the wife of Prince Camillo Borghese, who restored it, making it a sumptuous residence admired by all contemporaries. When the troops of the newly created Kingdom of Italy opened the “Breach of Porta Pia” on September 20, 1870, the crucial and final step toward the deposition of the Popes’ secular power and the Unification of Italy, they entered Rome through the very garden of Villa Bonaparte. Since 1950, the Villa has housed the French Embassy to the Holy See.

Mirabilia is exclusively entrusted with the organization of cultural guided visits to the Farnese Palace on behalf of the Embassy of France.

Itinerary: the tour winds its way through the great hall on the main floor, adorned by the monumental muses soaring in chiaroscuro against the background enhanced by architectural motifs, then the Egyptian room, decorated in honor of Napoleon’s military campaigns in Egypt, and a style all the rage in the 1800’s, the chapel with 18th-century stucco work, the dining room, enriched with paintings from 17th-century France from the Louvre Museum, as well as the loggia on the main floor characterized by a painted ceiling with a magnificent pergola that recalls and refers to the lush garden surrounding the Villa outside.

Visits are possible every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and can be booked exclusively through this website: www.visite-villabonaparte.it

Villa Bonaparte
Ambasciata di Francia presso la Santa Sede
Via Piave 23
00185 Roma