Caravaggio at Palazzo Barberini: the must-see exhibition of 2025

Even if it competes with several worldwide events in terms of scientific projects and objectives, it is projected to be the most significant exhibition in Rome in 2025!

15 years after the last significant exhibition of Michelangelo Merisi in the capital (which took place at the Galleria Borghese, which has partnered on this occasion by lending some works), “Caravaggio 2025,” which is on display in the magnificent rooms of the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Palazzo Barberini until July 6, honors the artist’s genius.

An event of global importance

The exhibition, which was planned to coincide with the 2025 Jubilee celebrations, features approximately 20 works of art by the Lombard master, some of which are already in the permanent collection of Palazzo Barberini and are well-known to both Roman citizens and visitors to the capital.

Curator Maria Cristina Terzaghi, who worked on the project with Francesca Cappelletti and the director of the Palazzo Thomas Clement Salomon, explained that the title also reflects the intention to take stock of the latest discoveries about the artist.

Works never seen before and extraordinary returns

In addition to already well-known works, the exhibition includes the Ecce Homo, currently at the Prado in Madrid: it has never been exhibited in Italy. At the request of the vicereine at the time, the picture departed Naples in the 17th century and has never been seen again on the peninsula. Given how we are discussing recent findings, another treasure on display, the Portrait of Maffeo Barberini, has just lately been credited to Caravaggio.

The Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a masterpiece already in the Barberini collections and sold in 1935, is of considerable significance due to its temporary return “home” from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid.

The three paintings that banker Ottavio Costa commissioned will also be reunited: the Saint Francis in Ecstasy, from the Wadsworth Atheneum of Art in Hartford, also in the United States; the Judith beheading Holofernes, which is housed in Palazzo Barberini; and Saint John the Baptist, which is currently at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City.

A show of consideration for locals and visitors

Could the exhibition have been more “crowded” with masterpieces? Perhaps, but the curators decided not to move the Caravaggio paintings kept in Roman churches, leaving them accessible to visitors from all over the world. An almost “delicate” choice that invites you to discover the city more fully.

How to get to Palazzo Barberini and other information about the exhibition

Palazzo Barberini is located at Via delle Quattro Fontane 13 and can be easily reached by subway (Barberini stop, line A) or by numerous city buses, some of which directly connect the visitors to the Termini area (central train station and bus hub).

Booking tickets ahead of time is strongly recommended by the administration of Palazzo Barberini, but we at From Home to Rome invite you to do so in any case to avoid overcrowding and an uncomfortable visit: think of it as mandatory and bear in mind that all weekends are sold out for the time being!

Our apartments for “Caravaggio 2025”

Many of the short-term accommodations in our portfolio are within a short or very short distance from Palazzo Barberini: Via Toscana, for example (here is one of the apartments available in the building), but also the recently acquired Mercede 37, or even Via degli Avignonesi (an example is here). Looking for something in a different area? Take a look at the entire portfolio of our apartments!