Palazzo Farnese

A mid-18th-century engraving of Palazzo Farnese by Giuseppe Vasi. The coat of arms of Farnese Pope Paul III Detail of the Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne by Annibale Carracci, the Farnese Gallery, 1595. A Virgin with a Unicorn, depicting Giulia Farnese by Domenichino, c. 1604–05 Palazzo Farnese ([paˈlattso farˈneːze, -eːse]) or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French Embassy in Italy [fr].

First designed in 1517 for the Farnese family, the building expanded in size and conception when Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III in 1534, to designs by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. Its building history involved some of the most prominent Italian architects of the 16th century, including Michelangelo, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta.