Inside Palazzo Chigi

The most important rooms inside Palazzo Chigi are situated on the piano nobile on the first floor, overlooking the corner between Via del Corso and Piazza Colonna: the  office of the President of the Council of Ministers and antechamber, the Council of Ministers meeting room and a number of smaller adjacent rooms.

This part of the Palace more or less coincides with the original building commissioned by the Aldobrandini family, which was designed by Matteo da Castello, a famous architect in 16th century Rome. 

The ‘Grand Stairway of Honour’ leads up to these first floor rooms. This majestic staircase, built by architect Felice della Greca, was commissioned by the Chigi family in the second half of the 17th century. 

When important guests are received by the President of the Council of Ministers at Palazzo Chigi, they all enter in the same way: after walking through the main entrance, they cross the courtyard, passing the travertine fountain that bears the coat of arms of the noble Chigi family.