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The Farnesina in Rome: Italian diplomacy and contemporary art
Palazzo della Farnesina is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome — a massive building, with a 169-metre travertine façade and a volume in excess of 700,000 cubic metres — sanding between Monte Mario and the river Tiber, at the northern end of the Foro Italico.
A headquarters born for the regime, handed over to diplomacy
The name comes from the Farnese family's estates in the area. In the 1930s, a building was being sought for the National Fascist Party, originally planned for what is now Via dei Fori Imperiali. In 1937, a design by Enrico Del Debbio, Arnaldo Foschini, and Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo was chosen, however construction was relocated outside the city centre. In 1940, with the building site already opened, the regime abandoned the project. The building thus became the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which officially moved here in 1959.
1,300 rooms
Inside there are 1,300 rooms spread across 9 floors. Del Debbio designed the furnishings, including Venini glass chandeliers based on a module designed by Carlo Scarpa. The staterooms bear the signature of artists such as Pietro Cascella, Amerigo Tot, Alberto Bevilacqua, Francesco Coccia, and Giorgio Quaroni. The square in front of the entrance features Arnaldo Pomodoro's "Sfera Grande."
Visiting the Farnesina
Since the year 2000, the building has housed the Farnesina Collection, a selection of contemporary artworks featuring pieces by some of the most significant artists in the history of Italian art of the 20th and 21st centuries.
