Farnese Apartments & Stufetta – Renaissance Art and Comfort

These rooms prove a fortress could also host refined diplomacy.

1. Sala Paolina: Program & Pride

Perin del Vaga and Pellegrino Tibaldi craft allegories of Paul III as new Hadrian–Alexander—a tapestry of stucco, mosaic, and narrative fresco.

2. Trompe‑l’oeil Moments

• Tibaldi’s self‑portrait on a door panel—a painter’s wink to posterity.
• Perino’s servants sneaking up stairs—humor amid pomp.

3. The Stufetta of Clement VII

• Hot (brazier‑shaped faucet) and cold (chalice) water once served a compact bath suite—comforts startling for a siege refuge.
• Fixtures removed, but the legend of modernity remains.

4. Reading Heraldry

Medici balls, Farnese lilies, Barberini bees, Borgia bulls—the castle is a heraldic map of patrons and politics.

5. Visiting Tips

• Low light preserves pigments; allow your eyes to adjust.
• Trace iconography before photography—understanding precedes the snapshot.

Bottom Line

Between cannon embrasures and angel legends, a Renaissance palace quietly persists—civilization inside a citadel.