Rome - Palazzo Corsini

The Palazzo Corsini was built in the 15th century for Cardinal Domenico Riario, a nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. In the 17th century it was occupied by Queen Christina of Sweden after her conversion to the Roman Catholic faith and her abdication, and here she brought artists and men of learning together in an academy which later became the famous Arcadia. After coming into the possession of the Corsini family the palace was completely rebuilt by Ferdinando Fuga (1723-36). It now houses part of the collections of the National Gallery of Ancient Art (the former Corsini Gallery), mainly European painting of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the Corsini collection is now in the main part of the National Gallery in the Palazzo Barberini.