The Altieri palace at Oriolo Romano was the heart of the village and was built in the years 1578-1585 on a design either by Muzio Paparelli or by students of Vignola.
It become the property of the Altieri and was enriched and embellished in 1670 when a family member became pope under the name of Clement X.
It is a typical villa-palace of the late sixteenth century, and has a main building with a portico which balances the ‘solids’ and ‘voids’ of the facade to make the most elegant building.
Successive interventions and expansions were dictated by defensive and celebratory needs, such as lengthening the wing to accommodate the gallery-art gallery.
In the so-called gallery of the Popes, commissioned by Pope Clement X (Emilio Bonaventura Altieri), you can admire the portraits of all 265 popes.
The collection is particularly important since it is the only existing complete: each portrait of a pope is accompanied by his emblem and the prophetic words of Malachi.
The interior is divided into large rooms decorated with stucco, frescos and paintings of which some are attributed to the school of Taddeo Zuccari.
Among the frescoes on the walls there is also a valuable picture of the building before the modifications undertaken by the Orsini and the Altieri.
The chapel houses the remains of San Massimo martyr.
The palace belongs to the Italian state and is home to a school of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
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