The Rich Frescoes of the Passageway
Within the oldest core of the palace is a narrow, richly frescoed corridor: the Little Passageway of Urban VIII
The Passaggetto of Urban VIII is a narrow corridor, built to enable the pope to move from his summer apartments to his winter ones. It started out as a private passageway and was richly decorated with frescoes on its walls, which came to light during a recent restoration.
The first frescoes were added to the Passaggetto in 1613 by Annibale Durante, during the time of Pope Paul V Borghese. Dating from this phase is the ersatz architecture of pillars interspersed with landscapes and figures. These are seen alongside the frieze on the upper part of the walls, within which the dragon and eagle that recall the coat of arms of the Borghese family, next to landscapes and grotesque motifs, can be seen.
In 1634, under the pontificate of Urban VIII, the corridor was extended from 26 feet (8 m) to 36 feet (11 m) and was substantially redecorated. Retaining the artificial architecture painted 20 years previously, the artists Simone Lagi and Marco Tullio Montagna inserted a large number of views of monuments and places linked to the Barberini pontificate between the pillars. Among these, on the inner wall: the Vatican Armory, the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican, the Siege of Casale Monferrato, Ancona—Neptune, and the Fort at Ferrara.
However, it is the two overlapping views dedicated to St. Peter's Basilica on the opposite wall that stand out: the Opening and Closing of the Holy Door. Within both images, the facade of the basilica is sectioned to show the interior of the portico within which the rites of opening and closing the Holy Door were carried out, which took place on the Jubilee of 1625.
View of the Passageway of Urban VIIIQuirinale Palace
Before the 2012 restoration, the views were separate from one another on the walls, as if they were pictures hung on a wall. The work has brought to light the ersatz architecture of the 17th century and the decoration on the upper part.
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The restoration
At the beginning of the 19th century, the upper part of the walls was covered by a frieze of garlands of plants on a blue background. The restoration removed the frieze to recover the older paintings, but one portion was preserved above the Fort at Ferrara.
Today, the different decorative layers co-exist on the walls of the Passaggetto.
The Passaggetto of Urban VIII connects the Gregorian Villa (Palazzina Gregoriana) to the rooms in the east wing, where the Gallery of Alexander VII is located.
What are known as the Napoleonic Rooms are also located in the Palazzina that Pope Gregory XIII had constructed, within the oldest core of the Quirinal Palace.
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