Palazzo Altemps

The Altemps Palace is one of the most interesting examples of Renaissance architecture in Rome. The building was started by Girolamo Riario in 1477 in an area that in antiquity was dedicated to the administration of imported marble , possibly with a temple of Apollo nearby. Since 1997 it has been one of the four seats of  the National Roman Museum. In the palace are Renaissance and Baroque sculptures such as the famous Boncompagni-Ludovisi collection, the rich sixteenth century collection of Asdrubale and Ciriaco Mattei and the Altemps collection itself. The latter collection includes 16 statues, that were reacquired by the State, four of which are located under the arches of the courtyard . Among these collections are some very famous works of art, such as the Birth of Venus, part of the Ludovisi Collection, probably dating back to the fifth century BC. Further examples include 'Orestes and Electra' embracing and saying farewell to each other and the 'Ares', described by Winkelmann as "the most beautiful representation of Mars from antiquity". There is an important collection of statues in the party hall, among which the group representing the Galatian  Suicide, which was found together with a sculpture of the Dying Galatian, now housed at the Capitoline Museum. When visiting the museum it is also possible to see the Church of Saint Aniceto, built within the palace when Giovanni Angelo Altemps, in 1603, obtained a unique permission to keep the relics of this saint, one of the first popes.  The building also holds the recently restructured Goldoni Theatre, that functions as a conference center as well.