
This story recounts a moment in history with a capital H. It is 1811 in Rome: Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Italy, at the height of his glory, decides to make the Quirinal Palace the second royal residence to welcome his wife, Marie Louise of Austria, and their son, Napoleon II, who had received the legendary title King of Rome. The idea is to liken the Napoleonic empire to the Roman one, recalling its imperial magnificence. This symbolic choice, most likely the suggestion of Italian architect Raffaele Stern, led to the necessity of undertaking significant renovations to adapt the palace to the imperial couple’s needs before a scheduled visit to Rome in 1812 – one that would never take place due to the failed campaign in Russia.
The Pope Alexander VII Chigi Gallery, with frescoes by Pietro da Cortona from 1655-1656 and 75 meters long, was ordered by Napoleon to be divided into three large halls that were to serve as apartments for the empress. The changes made by Stern had a huge impact: the windows overlooking the court of honor were sealed, and the walls decorated with the wonderful paintings by da Cortona were covered with a dissonant, lackluster color.
During the 2000s, the Presidency of the Republic initiated a project with the aim of restoring the 17th century appearance of the original hall. Enter the Bracco Foundation which, in 2011 on the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, marked the occasion with a memorable cultural initiative: lend support for the restoration of the Pope Chigi Gallery in the Quirinal Palace and bring one of the most extraordinary treasures from Italy’s historic and artistic patrimony back to its former splendor.
In fact, the Gallery is located inside the official residence of the President of the Republic and the restoration has highlighted all of the unique characteristics of the time, namely the evocative power of the 17th century wall decoration and their original luminosity thanks to the reopening of the windows facing the court of honor, found in the Sista Wing of the Quirinal – the Yellow Hall, the Augustus Hall and the Hall of the Ambassadors.



“We are deeply honored to have been chosen as partner of such a monumental restoration at a prestigious place like the Quirinal Palace, even more so for the 150th anniversary of Unification,” Diana Bracco stated at the time. “Our commitment to culture is intended to be a powerful message of beauty, determination and optimism. A cultivated society is a united, aware, and thoughtful community.” Regarding the project, the then President of the Republic himself, Giorgio Napolitano, wished to acknowledge the fruitful public-private collaboration by thanking Bracco.
The partnership was such a success that it was repeated just a few years later, when the Bracco Foundation again joined the Quirinal for the exhibition “The Prince of Dreams. Joseph in the Medici tapestries by Pontormo and Bronzino.” The exhibition presented by the twenty sixteenth-century tapestries commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici for the Hall of the Duecento in Palazzo Vecchio. The tapestries, which illustrate the stories of Joseph, were divided between Florence and the Quirinal Palace in 1882 at the behest of the House of Savoy. In a rare occurrence, they were shown together again for one whole year starting the 17th of February, 2015 in a special event, promoted by the Presidency of the Italian Republic and the City of Florence and sponsored by the Bracco Foundation, which visited Rome (The Great Hall of the Cuirassiers in the Quirinal Palace, 17 February-12 April), Milan (Hall of the Caryatids in the Royal Palace, 29 April-23 August), and Florence (Hall of the Duecento in Palazzo Vecchio, 16 September-15 February 2016).
“During the upcoming Universal Exposition in Milan the world’s focus will be on Italy, especially on its exceptional cultural patrimony,” wrote Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic in the book dedicated to the exhibition which celebrated one of the peak moments in the history of 16th century art.