Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne

palace, Rome, Italy

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June 30, 2026

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The Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne, designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi around 1535, is a notable example of Mannerist architecture in Rome. Its curved facade, a departure from Renaissance ideals, was adapted to its site and features a loggia with columns on the ground floor. The upper stories are adorned with imitation stonework, and the windows have unique horizontal designs. The palace's name, meaning "Palace of the Columns," refers to a previous colonnaded structure on the site that was destroyed in the sack of Rome in 1527. The Massimo family, who owned the palace, provided shelter to early printers in Rome.12

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Rome
Renaissance palaces
the Farnese, and the Massimo alle Colonne palaces. Because all the pertinent documents were destroyed in the sack of Rome in 1527, the architect of the Palazzo della Cancelleria remains unknown. Dated 1486–98, it was built by Cardinal Raffaelo Riario out of a night’s winnings at the gaming table.…
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the Farnese, and the Massimo alle Colonne palaces. Because all the pertinent documents were destroyed in the sack of Rome in 1527, the architect of the Palazzo della Cancelleria remains unknown. Dated 1486–98, it was built by Cardinal Raffaelo Riario out of a night’s winnings at the gaming table.…
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Baldassarre Peruzzi
…most significant is probably the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (begun 1532) in Rome. To meet the challenge of an unusual site, Peruzzi curved the facade to match the road, organizing the design of the structure for its site rather than according to prevailing principles of central focus and vertical linkages…
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…most significant is probably the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (begun 1532) in Rome. To meet the challenge of an unusual site, Peruzzi curved the facade to match the road, organizing the design of the structure for its site rather than according to prevailing principles of central focus and vertical linkages…
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Western architecture
Italian Mannerism or Late Renaissance (1520–1600)
…Farnesina, Peruzzi’s design for the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (about 1535) in Rome shows indications of Mannerism. The facade of the palace was curved to fit the site on which it was erected; instead of remaining the passive form it had been in the earlier phases of Renaissance architecture, the…
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…Farnesina, Peruzzi’s design for the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne (about 1535) in Rome shows indications of Mannerism. The facade of the palace was curved to fit the site on which it was erected; instead of remaining the passive form it had been in the earlier phases of Renaissance architecture, the…
Read More