In the footsteps of the Grand Tour

Painters and writers of the Grand Tour era travelling throughout Italy often visited the Castelli Romani; Ariccia in particular. The elegant piazza of the ancient village of Ariccia was designed by Bernini with the Church of the Assumption and Palazzo Chigi.

The latter can be visited, along with the vast park, and is embellished with furniture, decorations, leather-covered walls, a library, a pharmacy and a collection of paintings and sculptures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
The interiors were chosen as the location for several scenes of the film “Il Gattopardo” (1963) by Luchino Visconti with Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon. The famous scene of the grand ball, for example, was shot right in the wonderful hall of Palazzo Chigi. A few steps from the main square you can visit the Locanda Martorelli which hosted many great artists of the Grand Tour, such as Corot, Turner, Ibsen, Longfellow, Gogol, Costa, Kuntze and many others. Do not miss the series of murals that illustrate the mythological history of the country.

Address: Piazza di Corte 4, Ariccia

Booking e info: Archeoclub d’Italia sede Comprensoriale Aricino-Nemorense

archeoclubaricia@alice.it – mob.: +39.388.3636502

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