Did you know that Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds one of the most important collections of Italian contemporary art?
Let me tell you why it’s worth a visit — and it’s free, too.
Let’s go!
The story of the Palazzo della Farnesina
The Foreign Ministry is nicknamed “Farnesina” because the building stands on the old Farnese gardens, once owned by the Farnese family.
The building is an extraordinary work in itself: it was meant to house the headquarters of the National Fascist Party during the dictatorship. A competition was held, won in 1937 by the architects Enrico Del Debbio, Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo and Arnaldo Foschini. Work began that same year, was interrupted by the war and resumed in 1946, with the project modified for its new use; the Ministry only moved in at the end of the 1950s.
The result is one of the most voluminous buildings in Italy: some 120,000 square metres and more than 1,300 rooms, with a 169-metre façade and a height of 51 metres. The clear, schematic layout, the use of marble and travertine, the absolute geometry are all typical of the Rationalist architecture of the Fascist era — softened today, inside, by the abstract and brightly coloured works of art.
And here’s the best part: the Palazzo della Farnesina holds an incredible collection of contemporary art.
The Farnesina Collection: what you need to know
Art has always played an active role in international relations: it’s no coincidence that artists like Leonardo da Vinci or Gian Lorenzo Bernini were sent around Europe to strengthen political ties between states. Images are a universal language, which is why it’s fascinating to find, inside the Foreign Ministry, an important gathering of masterpieces.
The Farnesina Collection was born in 2000, on the initiative of the then Secretary-General Umberto Vattani, who decided to use the building’s vast spaces to represent twentieth-century and contemporary Italian art. Today it counts over 600 works by around 360 artists, spanning every movement from Futurism onwards and every medium, from painting to sculpture, from photography to installations. Being devoted to the contemporary, it’s a living collection, constantly evolving.
One work you admire before you even go in: the Sfera Grande by Arnaldo Pomodoro, made in 1966-67 and first shown at the 1967 Montreal Expo, which now towers in bronze in front of the main entrance. Inside await the great names of twentieth-century Italian art, from the Futurists onwards.
How to visit the Farnesina Collection
And here’s the most important question: how do you visit it?
The Farnesina Collection can be visited free of charge, but only by reservation and on set days (usually the last Friday of the month), on a guided tour of about 90 minutes. As it’s a ministry, access is limited and you’ll need an ID document: book in advance on the official Farnesina Collection website and show up fifteen minutes early.
The palace also opens its doors on special occasions such as Open House Rome (in May) and the Day of Contemporary Art (in October): two excellent chances to discover one of the most unusual — and least known — museums in the capital.
And you, would you ever have imagined that behind the doors of the Foreign Ministry hides a museum of contemporary art? Sometimes the finest treasures are exactly where you’d least expect them.
