Palazzo e Galleria Doria Pamphilj

Lonely Planet review

On the corner of Via del Corso and Via del Plebiscito, this huge, grey palazzo houses one of Rome's least-known jewels. Often overlooked by tourists, the Galleria Doria Pamphilj is home to one of the richest private art collections in Rome, with works by Raphael, Tintoretto, Brueghel, Titian, Caravaggio, Bernini and Velázquez.

The Pamphilj's golden age, during which the family collection was started, came during the papacy of one of their own, Innocent X (r 1644-55), whose generosity to himself and his family was legendary.

To get to the 1st-floor picture gallery you pass through the private apartments, decorated in lavish 16th-century style. Highlights are numerous, but include Riposso durante la fuga in Egitto (Rest During the Flight into Egypt) and Maddalene Penitente (Penitent Magdalen), where the artist used the same model for the Virgin and the prostitute. But the collection's star is the Velázquez portrait of an implacable Pope Innocent X, who grumbled that the depiction was 'too real'.

Make sure to pick up the excellent audioguide (included in your ticket price), narrated by by Jonathan Pamphilj, one of the half-Irish siblings who heads the family.