Palazzo Venezia & Museo del Palazzo di Venezia

Lonely Planet review

On the western side of Piazza Venezia is Rome's first great Renaissance palace. Built between 1455 and 1464 for the Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo (who later became Pope Paul II), it was used for centuries as the embassy of the Venetian Republic. Its most famous resident was Mussolini, who used the vast Sala del Mappamondo as his centre of operations.

Mussolini famously made speeches from the balcony overlooking the square and kept the lights on throughout the night to give the impression that he was working. Nowadays, the best way to see inside is to visit the oft-overlooked Museo del Palazzo di Venezia, with its eclectic collection of Byzantine and early Renaissance art, ranging from jewellery and ceramics to pastel portraits, arms, tapestries and terracotta statues by Bernini. Among the best paintings are Guercino's sad San Pietro , Carlo Maratta's Cleopatra , which clothes the Egyptian queen in a 17th-century gown, and Orazio Borgianni's Cristo Deposto (The Deposition of Christ). The eastern wing of the museum - where you'll find Mussolini's old office - is often given over to major art exhibitions.