The days are slowly getting longer, winter is beginning to fade, and you can feel that discreet impatience that precedes spring. Without necessarily crossing the planet, a few hours by plane is sometimes all it takes to change the scenery, the light and the history.
What if our next getaway took us to Rome? The Eternal City is the focal point of centuries of power, art and faith. From the Colosseum to the Vatican Museums, from aristocratic palaces to modern art collections, the Italian capital offers a dizzying cultural immersion - where Antiquity is in constant dialogue with contemporary creation.
The Colosseum
It’s impossible to come to Rome without visiting the Colosseum. At the heart of the vast archaeological complex, the Flavian amphitheatre - the largest ever built in Antiquity - remains one of the most powerful symbols of imperial splendour. After becoming a stone quarry in the Middle Ages, then a romantic ruin admired by artists and writers, today it stands out as a monument of resilience, surviving the centuries while remaining deeply rooted in Roman life.
Visiting, however, requires a minimum of forethought: there are a multitude of tickets and slots, and the site is quickly snapped up. The best option is to buy a ticket for access to the upper levels (attic). Away from the crowds gathered around the arena - where attempting the perfect selfie is often mission impossible - you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the entire structure of the monument and the nearby Roman Forum, which is included in some combined tickets (a worthwhile walk if you’re a ruins enthusiast). Down below, it is sometimes difficult to linger over the labels or the rare objects on display, as the crowds are so dense. But despite the crowds, the Colosseum remains an absolute “must see”: an impressive, almost vertiginous experience, reminiscent of the power and theatricality of ancient Rome.
Palazzo Barberini
Less popular than the great Roman behemoths, Palazzo Barberini is nonetheless well worth a visit. A prototype of the Baroque palace, it bears the signature of three giants of the 17th century: Carlo Maderno, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini. Right from the entrance, the tone is set: monumental façade, vast portico, square staircase attributed to Bernini on one side, spectacular spiral staircase - probably by Borromini - on the other. At the heart of the palace, the great hall decorated by Pietro da Cortona boasts a striking illusionist ceiling, the perfect embodiment of Baroque theatricality. Here you can feel the power of the Barberini, the family of Pope Urban VIII, who had this former villa on the Quirinal transformed into a sumptuous H-shaped residence surrounded by gardens.
But if the architecture impresses, it is a painting that remains engraved in my memory: Caravaggio’s “Giuditta e Oloferne”. The restrained violence of the gesture, the sharp light, the dramatic contrast between Judith’s cold determination and Holofernes’ astonishment... it’s impossible to remain indifferent. The palace also has a large collection of Caravaggesque works, which makes the visit all the more compelling. When I visited, an exhibition of contemporary American art was on show alongside the Baroque rooms - a bold contrast that I loved. Today, the palace is hosting an exhibition entitled “Bernini e i Barberini”, devoted to the relationship between Bernini and Urban VIII, a reminder of the extent to which this palace is inseparable from the birth of the Baroque language. Between masterpieces of the 17th century and ambitious programming, Palazzo Barberini proves that Rome knows how to bring power, art and modernity into dialogue with undiminished elegance.
Galleria Doria Pamphilj
You wouldn’t spontaneously think of the Doria Pamphilj Gallery when planning a trip to Rome - and that’s precisely what makes it one of its finest secrets. Nestled in a palace shaped by five centuries of extensions and alliances between the great Italian families, the gallery combines aristocratic history with an exceptional private collection. From the moment you enter, the décor sets the tone: painted ceilings, Venetian mirrors, chandeliers, antique marble, archaeological statues... It’s impossible to know where to look as everything seems designed to impress. Some rooms are literally carpeted from floor to ceiling with paintings from the 18th century, offering an almost dizzying experience. And yet, despite this profusion, the space remains breathable: you move around with ease, taking time to admire.
A succession of masterpieces by Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, Velázquez and Bruegel can be seen in the salons - the ballroom, the Hall of Mirrors and the private flats still inhabited by the family’s descendants. But what strikes you above all, beyond the prestigious names, is the atmosphere: an unspoilt refinement, a skilful accumulation, a constant dialogue between painting, sculpture and architecture. More than a museum, the gallery is a breathtaking immersion in a preserved princely world, where each decorated ceiling rivals the paintings it overlooks. An unexpected, yet unmissable visit.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
A little removed from the ancient circuits, the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, near the Villa Borghese (unfortunately closed at the time of my visit), offers a salutary counterpoint to classical Rome. As soon as you enter, the monumental black lions in front of the museum set the tone: this is a new era. Founded in 1883 with the ambition of bringing together the best in contemporary art, and housed since 1911 in Cesare Bazzani’s elegant building, the gallery now houses almost 20,000 works - paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs and films. The collection is particularly rich in Italian art of the last two centuries, but it also dialogues with major international figures: Van Gogh, Klimt, Modigliani, Monet, Duchamp, Pollock, Warhol... Enough to traverse neoclassicism, the avant-gardes, pop art or arte povera in just a few rooms.
The scenography surprises and seduces. The visit begins with a spectacular room, the walls of which are covered with hundreds of paintings of all sizes: a dense, almost vertiginous display that immediately catches the eye. Further on, ancient statues interact with modern works, creating unexpected connections between eras. The installations are thought-provoking, the space is generous, and it’s easy to get around, far from the hustle and bustle of the big Roman sites. And at the heart of the museum, a delightful courtyard offers a luminous break. It’s a stimulating and intelligent visit, a reminder that Rome isn’t just about its ruins: it also continues to think about art.
Escapade at the Vatican
Getting a ticket for the Vatican Museums is almost an Olympic challenge. Between the online sale - which you have to watch out for like a superstar concert - and the endless queues that stretch for hundreds of metres, it’s best to get in early or be patient. If you can’t, some agencies offer special passes at a very high price. Once inside, you have to accept the sheer size of the place: to explore every nook and cranny, you’ll need almost a whole day. Half a day might be enough if you’re aiming for the must-sees - the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s chambers - but that would be to miss out on an almost dizzying wealth.
As the Vatican Museums do not form a single block, but a constellation of departments and museums: Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Etruscan collections, Byzantine art, painting from the 15th to the 18th centuries, 19th and contemporary art, tapestries, decorative arts, ethnological collections... not forgetting the Pinacoteca, the Museo Pio-Clementino, the Museo Chiaramonti, the Braccio Nuovo and the Pavillon des Carrosses. In other words, a good pair of shoes is a must. It’s impossible to mention everything, but some areas make a lasting impression: the Gallery of Maps, a spectacular painted corridor with dizzying ceilings; the Borgia flats; the Hall of the Muses; Raphael’s strikingly fine rooms; or the Ethnological Museum, surprisingly modern in its approach.
The visit can then be extended to St Peter’s Basilica and, with a bit of luck, let you catch a glimpse of the Pontiff greeting the crowd from a window. It’s an intense experience, sometimes nerve-wracking, but absolutely unique.
(Next week, back to Spain)
