While millions flock to the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel, only a select few ever gain access to the opulent Colonna Palace — Rome’s most exclusive historic residence, still privately owned and largely closed to mass tourism.

Spanning an entire city block in the heart of Rome, the baroque palace houses galleries of paintings, sculptures, tapestries and the 76-meter Great Hall. Yet entry is tightly restricted: only small groups of 10, guided by art historians, may visit for limited hours on Friday and Saturday mornings.

“This is not meant for mass tourism,” said palace restorer Elisabetta Cecchini. Visits are allowed, she said, only because “art dies without public appreciation,” but the home will never be turned into a commercial museum.

The Colonna family has lived here for centuries. Don Prospero Colonna, the current prince, still resides on the premises and approves only rare public events — including the 2005 launch of Pope John Paul II’s book and a 2018 Met Gala-related fashion exhibition attended by prominent designers and editors.

Art historian Claudio Strinati, a former Rome Museum superintendent, supports the palace’s discretion, calling it one of humanity’s great artistic estates. “These were not designed as tourist attractions,” he said, but for those with deeper historical understanding.

The Colonnas, part of Rome’s “black nobility” loyal to the papacy, have guarded their heritage since the 12th century. During the Nazi occupation, Princess Isabella Colonna famously ordered artworks hidden behind walled-off rooms — a move that saved the collection.

Inside, the palace reflects its remarkable lineage: from the Throne Room portrait of Oddone Colonna, later Pope Martin V, to frescoes of Commander Marcantonio Colonna’s decisive 16th-century naval victory. The Great Hall also became iconic as the setting of the final scene of Audrey Hepburn’s 1952 classic Roman Holiday.