I was recently invited on a behind-the-scenes visit of the Quirinale, the palace and home of the Italian President. A fun fact that will give you an indication of its size: it’s the 9th largest palace in the world and 20 times bigger than the White House!
Located right in the heart of Rome, on the Quirinal Hill (one of the 7 hills of Rome), the palace has been home to kings, popes and presidents. The gardens feature sculptures, fountains and over the years have changed in style, vegetation and layout – depending on the taste of who is in residence.
The rooms are decorated in ornate gold, frescoes are dotted throughout and there’s even a chapel inspired by the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Here are some of my captures: 
You too can visit the Quirinal Palace. It’s open every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9:30am to 4:00pm (last admission at 2:00pm) and closed on national holidays. Bookings need to be made at least 5 days in advance and can be made by phone or online here. You can also take a virtual tour right here. A video highlights package of my visit was published on Italian newspaper La Repubblica and you can watch it here.
Signing off from Trastevere
Baci, Maria
Acknowledgements: I visited the Quirinal Palace and was given access to private parts of the Palace as a special guest of the Quirinale and Instagram. Look up and follow @quirinale on Instagram and check out the #emptyquirinale hashtag for some amazing behind the scenes views of the Palace.
