Roman monuments: the Quirinale, one of the largest presidential palaces in the world
Imposing, magical, in the heart of Rome, with 1,200 rooms and nearly a thousand employees, the Quirinale is one of the symbols of Italy and of the capital. It sits on the highest of the city’s seven hills, and is the official residence of our President of the Republic.
Covering an area of 110,500 square meters, it is the seventh largest building in the world and is 20 times the size of the White House. Since 1583, when it was built, it has hosted 30 popes and 4 kings. And 12 presidents, including Sergio Mattarella).
Imposing, magical, in the heart of Rome, it has 1,200 rooms and almost a thousand employees who not only follow the activity of the Head of State but also manage the priceless heritage made up of highly valuable tapestries, as many as 261 pieces, furniture and paintings, sculptures and historic carriages, astronomical clocks, extremely valuable books, gardens, greenhouses, chandeliers and the second largest carpet in the world.
Until 2014, the residence of the President of the Italian Republic in Rome was the largest presidential palace in the world. Only a few years ago it was surpassed by the Turkish President Erdogan’s Ak Saray palace, located in Ankara.
For centuries it was the seat of the popes who carried out their more “political” activities there. The last Pope hosted was Pius IX. Then, from 1870, it was the turn of the kings of the House of Savoy. And, finally, to the presidents of the Italian Republic. However, the first to reside there was not Enrico De Nicola. Nor Luigi Einaudi but Giovanni Gronchi.
Among the pearls of great value is the Pauline chapel, which has the same architectural and proportional characteristics of the Sistine Chapel and has also hosted some conclaves. Then there is the very famous spiral staircase by Mascarino, which led to the apartments of the popes, which could be accessed directly on horseback. And still noteworthy is the “loggia of honour”. Press conferences are held here on the occasion of the consultations for the formation of the new government.
However, the largest room in the building is “the ballroom”: here the new government swears in and the official lunches are held. Ballroom during the stay of the Savoys, today the floor is protected by what is considered the second largest carpet in the world, which extends for about 300 square meters.
The Quirinale, of course, is one of the symbols of the Italian state.
Built starting from 1573, it is one of the most important buildings in the capital, both from an artistic and political point of view: famous masters of Italian art worked on its construction and decoration, such as Pietro da Cortona, Domenico Fontana, Alessandro Specchi , Ferdinando Fuga, Carlo Maderno, Giovanni Paolo Pannini and Guido Reni. Currently, it also houses a large fragment of a fresco by Melozzo da Forlì.
The Palazzo established itself, especially starting from the pontificate of Paul V Borghese, as the stable residence of the popes, in fact initially erected as a summer residence of the Roman pontiff, it became an almost alternative seat to the Vatican palaces.
