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Enjoying what could be the last of the fall sunshine (nothing but grey skies & rain today), we headed past Piazza Navona late on Sunday and found a marvelous surprise in Palazzo Altemps. I've never ventured in & perhaps the building might go unnoticed if it wasn't for the giant banner- I could swear it's a new addition. But in this city, there are exquisite works of art, hidden gems of churches, and grand palazzos tucked behind large steel doors, so I pretty much assume the oversight is entirely mine...Turns out that it is more than just a stunning building and indeed houses the "top class collection of Classical sculpture" (Fodor's). The building dates from 1477 and was later expanded by the Altemps family and forms part of the Museo Nazionale Romano.
The ground floor houses Roman copies of ancient Greek statues, while the upper floor has frescoed rooms and the famed Ludovisi Throne- "one of the most beautiful of all surviving Greek statues in Rome".
Arguably the building itself is the greatest attraction- with the airy courtyard, "highly decorated" church of Sant'Aniento, and painted loggia (upstairs again) the palazzo is worth a visit if only to take a (well-preserved) glimpse at Renaissance Rome.
