Italy is full of evidence of the most notable aristocratic families who have left, throughout history,
palaces, villas, castles, gardens, and properties, often linked to patrons of great culture and famous artists. In Rome there are perhaps more of such buildings than any other city, and Palazzo Colonna is a magnificent example. It is one of the largest and oldest private palaces in the Eternal City on the Quirinal Hill. Inhabited for eight centuries by the Colonna family, which settled in the city in the early 13th century, the palace has undergone changes, extensions, and decorations as a result of the increased power of its owners, whose history is inextricably linked to that of the Vatican State and later to that of the Kingdom of Italy. About thirty-one generations have succeeded one another over the centuries…