Palazzo Altemps

Palazzo Altemps is a historic palace in Rome, Italy, that serves as one of the four branches of the Museo Nazionale Romano (National Roman Museum). Located in the Ponte district at Piazza di Sant'Apollinare 44, just north of Piazza Navona, the palace houses an important collection of ancient sculpture, particularly from the celebrated Ludovisi and Altemps collections. Acquired by the Italian Ministry of Culture in 1982 and opened to the public in 1997 after extensive restoration, it represents a significant repository of classical antiquities within a building that itself exemplifies the architectural evolution of Renaissance and Baroque Rome.

The palace's origins trace to around 1480, when it was built for Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, from designs attributed to Melozzo da Forlì. Following the death of Sixtus IV in 1484, the palace was plundered and remained long uninhabited. In the early 16th century, Cardinal Francesco Soderini of Volterra acquired it, commissioning additions from Antonio da Sangallo the Elder and Baldassare Peruzzi, including the major courtyard. The palace passed to Cardinal Innocenzo Cybo from 1513 to 1518, then served as residence for Spanish ambassadors. In 1568, Cardinal Mark Sittich von Hohenems, nephew of Pope Pius IV, purchased the building and Italianized his name to Altemps, giving the palace its enduring designation. He engaged Martino Longhi the Elder to expand and fundamentally renovate the structure, while his son Onorio Longhi designed the facade. The Altemps family established a library and the first collection of ancient sculptures on the premises. The palace later hosted Cardinal Melchior de Polignac from 1725 to 1732, became seat of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in the 19th century, then housed the de Merode school from 1871 to 1903, and subsequently a Spanish seminary founded by Leo XIII. The Italian state acquired the building in 1982, and after careful restoration, it opened in 1997 as part of the National Roman Museum.

The museum at Palazzo Altemps displays ancient artworks drawn from several of Rome's most important historical collections. Its holdings center on ancient sculpture, with particular strengths in Roman copies of Greek originals and significant original Greek works. The collection incorporates material from the Boncompagni-Ludovisi collection, which had been restricted to specialists for many years, as well as works from the Mattei collection of Villa Celimontana. These represented among the most important collections of ancient sculpture in 17th-century Rome. The palace also preserves works from the Hohenems collection assembled by Cardinal Altemps. Many pieces are Roman imitations of Greek originals, though notable exceptions include original Greek works such as the Ludovisi Throne and the Ludovisi acrolith, which scholars have hypothesized may come from Magna Graecia. The collection also encompasses Roman portrait busts and sarcophagi that are not derivative works.

Among the internationally renowned masterpieces on display are the Ludovisi Throne, the Great Ludovisi Sarcophagus, the suicide of Galatea, the Ludovisi Ares, the Ludovisi Dionysus, the Ludovisi Juno, and the Pouring Satyr. The Ludovisi Throne and the Ludovisi acrolith stand out as original Greek works rather than Roman copies. The collection also includes significant Roman portrait busts and sarcophagi. The palace itself retains important decorative elements, including frescoes in the Sala della piattaia attributed to the school of Melozzo da Forlì, uncovered during restoration. The private chapel of Sant'Aniceto, built in 1617, contains the relics of Pope Anicetus, making him the only pope to rest in a private residence; the chapel also features a fresco depicting the 1586 decapitation of Roberto Altemps, commissioned by his son Giovanni Angelo as memorial to the family tragedy.

The palace stands on a site with ancient antecedents, near where one of Rome's two marble ports operated during the imperial period, with archaeological evidence of sculptural workshops dating to the reign of Trajan. The present building represents successive architectural campaigns from the late 15th through early 17th centuries. Melozzo da Forlì's original design for the Riario family was followed by Soderini-era additions including the major courtyard. Martino Longhi the Elder's renovation for the Altemps family created one of Rome's finest courtyards, while his son Onorio Longhi designed the facade. The building features four obelisks and the Altemps family heraldic symbol of an ibex on its facade. The corner tower serving as a belvedere, known as the Altana, was among the first of its kind and became a model for subsequent patrician palaces. The covered loggia on the first floor contains notable frescoes. The interior decoration spans artistic phases from the Renaissance through the Baroque, with richly decorated walls and ceilings throughout. The private chapel of Sant'Aniceto is executed in Baroque style.

Palazzo Altemps is located at Piazza di Sant'Apollinare 44 in the Ponte district of Rome, within walking distance of Piazza Navona. It is owned by the Ministry of Culture and operates as one of four sites comprising the Museo Nazionale Romano, alongside Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, the Baths of Diocletian, and Crypta Balbi. The official website provides current visiting information. The palace opened to the public in 1997 after extensive restoration of both its architectural structure and decorative apparatus, having been acquired by the Italian state in 1982 from its previous ecclesiastical use. It functions today as a public museum dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of ancient sculpture.