Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Corsini

Housing part of Italy’s national art collection (the rest is in Palazzo Barberini), the 16th-century Palazzo Corsini has a distinguished history. Michelangelo, Erasmus and Bramante all stayed here but the palazzo is most readily associated with Queen Christina of Sweden, who took up residency in 1662 and entertained a steady stream of lovers in her richly frescoed bedroom. Gallery highlights include Van Dyck’s superb Madonna della Paglia (Madonna of the Straw), Murillo’s Madonna col bambino (Madonna and Child), and a typically haunting Caravaggio, San Giovanni Battista (St John the Baptist), in Room 3. The paintings of the Bologna school in Room 7 also catch the eye, with works by Guido Reni, Agostino and Annibale Carracci, Giovanni Lanfranco and Guercino.