Palazzo Barberini

Palazzo Barberini Review

Large arches and terraces scale the hillside up to this imposing palazzo that crowns a flight of steep, stone stairs. The palace was built in the 17th century along the semicircular lines of the original temple. It now contains the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Palestrina, with material found on the site that dates from throughout the classical period. A well-labeled collection of Etruscan bronzes, pottery, and terra-cotta statuary as well as Roman artifacts must take second place to the main event, a first-century BC mosaic showing ancient Egyptian pleasure craft and African animals. This delightful, highly colorful and detailed work is worth the trip to Palestrina by itself. But there's more: a model of the temple as it was in ancient times helps you appreciate the immensity of the original construction.