Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne

Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne review

The aristocratic Massimo family claims to trace their line back to ancient times. After their palace was destroyed during the Sack of Rome in 1527, this replacement was designed by Baldassare Peruzzi (1532-36). The curved façade incorporates a portico and follows the plan of the stands in Domitian's Odeon, which was closely linked to the same emperor's stadium - where piazza Navona now stands. The private church (church, mind you, not chapel: this is the only family church in Rome) has been open to the public on 16 March ever since 1583, when a young Massimo was supposedly raised from the dead by San Filippo Neri (Chiesa Nuova). Behind the palace, the piazza de' Massimi is dominated by an ancient column from the Odeon, a small theatre for poetry, music and oratory used at the time of Emperor Domitian's games.