Spada Gallery

Location:	ROME P.zza Capo di Ferro
Opening time: Tues. to Sat. 9-19, Sun. 9-13 • closed Mon. Admission charge: Lit. 5.00 public property THE SITE Palazzo Spada, housing the gallery bearing the same name, was built in the middle of the 16th century for Cardinal Girolamo Capodiferro by Bartolomeo Baronino; in 1632, it was purchased by Cardinal Bernardino Spada, who arranged the first nucleus of the painting collection, and also enlarged and restored the palace; it was in this period that Francesco Borromini realized in the palace his famous Perspective Gallery. From an architectectural point of view, the building can be considered as a typical example of an early 16th-century aristocratic house. The sumptuous stucco-works decorating the facade as well as the courtyard is the palace’s most distinctive feature. On the facade, a series of niches with statues alternate with the windows, while festooned medallions and a band with inscriptions complete the front decoration; an even richer decorative motif is used in the courtyard. The Spada Gallery is housed in one of the palace’s wings, typical example of aristocratic 16th-century collection. Both the palace and the Gallery belong to the Italian State since 1927

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