The Palazzo della Farnesina
The state rooms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some of the finest artworks on display
Atrio d'onore del palazzo della Farnesina Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Designed by the architects Del Debbio, Foschini and Morpurgo in 1937 as the headquarters of the National Fascist Party, in 1940 the building was allocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that moved there in 1959.
Squarcio verticale Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The works in the Atrium include the striking "Squarcio Verticale", the bronze sculpture by Osvaldo Calò which won the 1966 competition for the decoration of the Atriums.
Squarcio (1961) by Osvaldo Calò Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Squarcio verticale Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Owned by the Ministry, the work draws on the dialectic between light and shadow that heightens the dramatic nature of the deep split, made more evident by the curved surfaces, vertically cut, and by the sudden revelation of the inner jagged edges.
Atrio d'onore del palazzo della Farnesina Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The Main Entrance (Atrium of Honour)
The Atrium of Honour in the Palazzo della Farnesina is the entry gate for political figures and diplomatic delegations visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Untitled "(Langer Nr. 48)" (1979) by Mario Merz Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The Atrium is also the starting gate to the Farnesina Collection, a contemporary art collection that consists of major artworks of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Since 1999, the Collection plays a significant role in cultural diplomacy.
Scene e gente d'Italia (2000) di Sandro Chia Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The works in the Atrium of Honour are united by their contemporary reinterpretation of classicism. In "Scene e gente d’Italia" by Sandro Chia, the Transavanguardia master pays hommage to figurative tradition of Italian art.
Scene e gente d'Italia (2000) di Sandro Chia Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The work, completed in 2000, consists of 10 mosaic concrete panels of various sizes. While the technique takes its inspiration from ancient Roman and Byzantine mosaics, the work represents scenes of everyday life.
L'etrusco (1976) by Michelangelo Pistoletto Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
In 1976, Pistoletto turned the idea of work of art on its head with "L'Etrusco". The artist placed a bronze copy of the famous Etruscan statue "The Orator", a loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, in front of a mirror.
Here is the intuition of one of the most brilliant Italian artists: the spectators are no longer passive viewers, but they become part of the artwork. As a result, the work changes, in form and meaning, each time it is surrounded by different people.
Scalone d'onore del palazzo della Farnesina Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Staircase of Honour
The rooms, designed by the rationalist architect Del Debbio, are furnished by significant artistic and decorative objects, all commissioned in the 1950s and 1960s.
On the back wall of the first central ramp of the elegant marble-clad Scalone d'onore
(Staircase of Honour), one can admire the large tapestry "Senza titolo" by Sergio Selva, from 1967, which won one of the competitions for interior decorations.
Sarcofago romano (200/299) Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Past and present are in continuous dialogue in the rooms of the Palazzo. In the Atrium of Honour, there is also an ancient sarcophagus from the third century A.D. - a loan by the National Roman Museum - dominated by Chia’s contemporary mosaic panels.
The Main Hall (Hall of Honour)
In the first large state room, the Hall of Honor, the artworks show the artistic researches of the second half of the 20th century.
Controsoffitto (1959) by Francesco Coccia Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The Hall of Treaties
The Hall of Treaties, formerly the De Grenet Room or the Ambassadors' Antechamber, introduces to the Minister's study. The elegance of the rooms is visible both in the white Calacatta marble floor, with gold veining, and in the walls covered by white and green marble slabs.
L'albero meraviglioso con i suoi frutti e fiori (1967 ca) by Gastone Novelli Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
In designing the interiors, Del Debbio paid great attention to every detail: from the marble decorations to the lighting system, the tapestries and the false ceilings, all designed by important artists and architects of the time.
The story is created in collaboration with Touring Club Italiano
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