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A Private Look at Rome

There's the public Rome, of monuments, piazzas and antiquities; then there are the city's palazzos, which reveal a hidden world of splendor and opulence.

By Elizabeth Helman Minchilli

Romans are accustomed to living among such historical marvels as the Colosseum, which is nearly 2000 years old.

Stefano Aluffi-Pentini and his team of art historians guide travelers into the spectacular inner sanctum of important families.

<b>Palazzo Colonna:</b> The Sala di Pranzo, or dining hall, is among the most luxuriously decorated rooms in the palace. Gilt-framed frescoes by Pomarancio, Giovanni Baglione, Jacopo Zucchi and other 16th-century artists adorn the ceiling.

<b>Palazzo Doria Pamphilj:</b> Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilji in the Galleria degli Specchi, the Hall of Mirrors, which dates from the first half of the 17th century. The ceiling, painted by Aureliano Milani, depicts the fall of Hercules.

<b>Palazzo Doria Pamphilj:</b> The Sala Aldobrandini features Hellenistic statues and 18th-century paintings.

Nataliza, a popular coffee bar, serves delectable cappuccino.

A tart made with tiny wild strawberries called <i>fragolini</i> at Natalizi.

<b>Palazzo Colonna:</b> The Sala del Baldacchino, the throne room, is where Maria Mancini, the wife of Prince Colonna, held audiences in the 17th century.

<b>Palazzo Barberini:</b> Princess Giovanna Barberini sits in her library before a 17th-century tapestry. designed by Jacopa della Riveira.

<b>Palazzo Massimo di Pirro:</b> Eleonora Semmola Coppa Solari in her 16th-century salon. Her two sons, ages four and six, think nothing of playing ball on the 1st-century mosaic floor.

An ancient cobblestoned street in Trastevere.

<b>Palazzo Colonna:</b> The Sala della Fontana, named for the marble fountain in the foreground, is part of the palazzo's private apartments.

Romans are accustomed to living among such historical marvels as the Colosseum, which is nearly 2000 years old.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Stefano Aluffi-Pentini and his team of art historians guide travelers into the spectacular inner sanctum of important families.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Colonna: The Sala di Pranzo, or dining hall, is among the most luxuriously decorated rooms in the palace. Gilt-framed frescoes by Pomarancio, Giovanni Baglione, Jacopo Zucchi and other 16th-century artists adorn the ceiling.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj: Prince Jonathan Doria Pamphilji in the Galleria degli Specchi, the Hall of Mirrors, which dates from the first half of the 17th century. The ceiling, painted by Aureliano Milani, depicts the fall of Hercules.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj: The Sala Aldobrandini features Hellenistic statues and 18th-century paintings.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Nataliza, a popular coffee bar, serves delectable cappuccino.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

A tart made with tiny wild strawberries called fragolini at Natalizi.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Colonna: The Sala del Baldacchino, the throne room, is where Maria Mancini, the wife of Prince Colonna, held audiences in the 17th century.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Barberini: Princess Giovanna Barberini sits in her library before a 17th-century tapestry. designed by Jacopa della Riveira.
Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Massimo di Pirro: Eleonora Semmola Coppa Solari in her 16th-century salon. Her two sons, ages four and six, think nothing of playing ball on the 1st-century mosaic floor.
Francesco Lagnese

An ancient cobblestoned street in Trastevere.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese

Palazzo Colonna: The Sala della Fontana, named for the marble fountain in the foreground, is part of the palazzo's private apartments.
PHOTO: Francesco Lagnese