Does anyone know if the presidential palace in Rome is sometimes open to the public?

The Quirinale Palace is open to visitors everu Sunday morning (8,30-12,30) except on a few special occasions. The Ticket costs 5 euro.<BR>It is also possible to visit the Buildings that host the two Parliament branches: Camera dei Deputati, placed in Montecitorio palace, can be visited every first sunday of the month since 10,00 am until 5,30 pm, while Senato, placed in Palazzo Madama, can be visited every first Saturday of the month since 10 am until 6 pm.

<BR><BR>First time I saw the palace, it was painted a very warm and striking yellow-orange color. Last year, however, they were repainting it a more subdued yellow-cream color. I was curious if it was some kind of primer, or the final color and a guard we asked said it was the final color. Too bad. While still an impressive building, it now lacks the beautiful color (in my opinion) it used to have.

That very warm yellowy-red color was painted all over all the state buildings (and local administrations as well). It was a rule that was enforced by Itlaian institutions for more or less one century. A couple of years ago, the parliament decided itt was a silly rule, and since than the insitutions' and state boulding are being repainted in any color (although many staied true to the old color). Yet, in the case of ancient buildings such as Quirinale and some others, architects in charge of manutention deided to give the building back its own original color. The &quot;new&quot; color that left you so disappointed is actually the color in which the palace used to be painted until the eraly XX century. By the way, most people in italy HATE that color. I mean the old one: it is true that you could tell every state biulding from afar by its coor, but it was also damn boring.

Hello Pete,<BR><BR>If you're going this month or next, there's currently also a programme of concerts at the Quirinale.<BR><BR>Steve<BR>

Thanks very much for your replies and info.<BR><BR>Steve, can you tell me where I can find a program for the concerts? We will be there next month.

<BR><BR>Alice, thank you for the information about those colors. Very interesting. I imagine if most people in Italy truly hate that former color it was because it was/is so prevalent because, comparing the two colors, I found the previous one on the Quirinale to be much richer and interesting than the new one, even if it is original. (Original, in my opinion, does not always equate to the best.) <BR><BR>On a similar note, when I was in Cambridge, Massachusetts years ago, I read an article about a movement among some homeowners in New England to restore their colonial houses to their original colors, which were muted colors. The white that is so commonplace in New England houses (usually accompanied by black shutters) apparently became popular during the Greek Revival period.

XXX:<BR><BR>Taht's right. The point is that in some cities (for instance in Rome, where a good deal of state buildings are clustered) it just ggot so boring, so uniform... You might really wish for someting different.

<BR><BR>Alice, that reminds me of a time I was visiting two people in Germany, who I previously met on vacation in Ireland. <BR><BR>We were driving in the countryside near their small town in southern Germany and I remarked how beautiful the houses looked. One of these people--a woman who is an architect--said she could understand why I found them beautiful but, because she had grown up with them, and their sameness, she found them boring. She was far more interested in visiting the U.S. to see the diversity of housing. <BR><BR>Anyway, one of the things I love about Italy is that the Italian, like the Mexicans, are unafraid to use relatively bold colors on buildings. That's why I was sad to see the Quirinale change to a more muted color, even if it is original.

xxx:<BR><BR>If you like bold coloring on buildings, if you happen to be in Milano you might as weel come to Sesto San Giovanni and take a look at the local city hall. One of the three buildigs that compose the City hall is decorated in black, yellow, orange and red si that it looks somewhat like melt steel being poured in an industry. The buiilding was designed by architect Piero Bottoni, and people from Sesto are still not sure whether it is something to be proud of or to ba ashamed of ^_^