Filippo I Colonna (1578-1639) erected the Palace of Paliano around 1623 next to the Collegiate Church of St. Andrew, the main church in town, where the family chapel housing the tombs of some among the leading exponents of the Colonna family already was.
Paliano, in fact, had long been one of the strategic strongholds of the Colonna: in the fortress (fifteenth century) dominating the town – today a penitentiary – an important contingent of Colonna troops, in service until the early 1800s, was therein headquartered. It was dismissed by Philip III Colonna (1760-1818) at the end of the feudal period in agreement with Pope Pius VII.
Filippo I Colonna dedicated the Palace of Paliano to the memory of his late wife Lucrezia Tomacelli (1576-1622) and renovated the chapel located inside the new building “to give proper burial to his illustrious consort” as the plaque placed on the main entrance of the Palace on Piazza Marcantonio Colonna recalls.
One of the sons of Filippo I and Lucrezia, Cardinal Girolamo I Colonna, completed (1604-1666) in the second half of the 1600s the edification of the Palace by adding to it a new wing with the help of Architect Antonio Del Grande; the building remained virtually unaltered from then onwards, with its linear and austere charm typical of the ancient noble residences of the Roman countryside.
From its edification to present day, the Palace has been home to fifteen generations of the Colonna family. During World War II, it was confiscated for a period of time by the German Armed Forces who looted and abandoned it in a ruinous state. Immediately after the war, a slow and constant restoration and refurnishing of the Palace began.
The external walls have benefited over the last ten years of a careful restoration which testifies to the care devoted to the maintenance as well as the emotional bond between the Colonna family and this ancient historic mansion.
Bookable guided tours of Palazzo Colonna in Paliano for a guaranteed minimum of 10 persons:
– tel.: +39 06 6784350
– email: info@galleriacolonna.it
– Paliano (FR) is about 60 km from Rome
– Rome-Naples A1 highway, Colleferro exit, or Casilina road or Prenestina road
– Train from from Rome-Termini to Colleferro-Segni-Paliano station
