I have walked the rooms and gone up and down the staircases many times, gasping at their beauty, always experiencing the Stendhal syndrome. But nothing prepared me for what I felt during the Caravaggio 2025 exhibition.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica - Palazzo Barberini
In the heart of Rome, just off the Quirinale Hill, in Via delle Quattro Fontane, Palazzo Barberini stands as a testament to Baroque expression. It is a palace steeped in grandeur and contradiction, built by Pope Urban VIII using spoils from ancient monuments, yet now filled with art that elevates the soul. Fitting, then, that in 2025 this opulent space played host to one of the most extraordinary exhibitions in recent memory: Caravaggio 2025.
Power and paradox lie at the heart of the palace's origin. Commissioned in 1625 by Maffeo Barberini, who became Pope Urban VIII in 1623, it was shaped by three architectural titans. Carlo Maderno began the project; after his death, his nephew Francesco Borromini and Gian Lorenzo Bernini took over to continue the work.
During that period in Rome, people used the talking statue Pasquino to criticise abuses by the powerful, especially Pope Urban VIII Barberini. He was mocked for harming the city more than barbarians by reusing ancient monuments, removing bronze from the Pantheon to build St Peter's baldachin and Castel Sant Angelo's cannons, and taking materials from the Colosseum to construct Palazzo Barberini.
The two staircases
The competing visions of Borromini and Bernini, one dramatic, the other cerebral, are reflected in the palace's two iconic staircases.
Bernini's ceremonial staircase is formal, classical, and dignified, creating an architectural procession of splendour. Borromini's spiral staircase is luminous, twisting, and intellectually daring, an impossible geometry that seems to lead to heaven.
Caravaggio 2025
My visit to the Caravaggio 2025 exhibition, organised during a Jubilee year, was different from my previous visits to the palace. Excitement around the event had reached fever pitch, with over 60,000 tickets sold, fully booked months in advance and selling out right up until the very last day.
Thanks to a friend who was part of the filming team, I obtained a backstage pass. This enabled me to skip the queues as I made my way to the dark galleries, where 24 of Caravaggio's authenticated masterpieces hung.
Many paintings were being reunited for the first time in centuries, loaned from collections around the world, including a few rarely seen works and new discoveries at a place that reflects his connection with his patrons. The exhibition offered me a once-in-a-lifetime chance to trace the artist's career from his arrival in the Eternal City to his tragic, untimely death at the age of 39.
The exhibition's curation was sublime, allowing each canvas to breathe, framed by dim lighting and deep silence.
There was Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1598, Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, serene yet fierce; and Boy with a Basket of Fruit, c. 1593, Galleria Borghese, Rome, which shimmered with life.
The Fortune Teller, c. 1594, Capitoline Museums, Rome, from the oldest museum in the world, held her gaze locked on me.
The intense Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1599, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome, was unforgettable.
Caravaggio's long-lost, haunting Ecce Homo, c. 1605, rediscovered in 2021, temporarily left the Prado Museum in Madrid to return to Italy after 400 years in exile.
I was deeply moved by Caravaggio's striking Portrait of a Knight of Malta, c. 1607, Palatine Gallery, Pitti Palace, Florence, which I saw in person for the first time, despite my many visits to Florence.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
It felt like a homecoming. Caravaggio's paintings were not just on display; they were in conversation with the frescoes, with the staircases, with the legacy of the Barberini name.
Stendhal Syndrome
What I experienced was nothing short of overwhelming. It is what is known as the Stendhal Syndrome - I was overcome by dizziness, tears and emotional overwhelm triggered by encountering too much beauty. I had always thought this was poetic exaggeration. That day I learnt it was not.
As I moved through the gallery, a sense of awe gave way to physical reaction. My chest tightened. My eyes welled up. I was surrounded not just by beauty, but by intensity, drama, and the inescapable weight of history.
I heard one visitor say: "The exhibition was an emotional journey. The way the art and space spoke to each other was unforgettable." They were right.
A Baroque ballet of architecture and emotion
What made the experience so extraordinary was not just the art, but also the place where it was set. The palace itself became part of the story. As I left the gallery and descended Bernini's majestic, sweeping staircase on one side, I took one last look at Borromini's spiralling marvel on the other. I realised this was not just an art show. It was an emotional and immersive experience, steeped in history and architecture.
Caravaggio, with his light and shadow, had found the perfect stage.
I ended my visit with a fabulous lunch at their new Giardino all'Italiana. The recently opened Serre Barberini café was the perfect peaceful spot to unwind and enjoy the beautiful spring day.
Casino dell'Aurora
With my exhibition ticket, I was able to purchase a one-off opportunity to visit the Casino dell'Aurora (Villa Ludovisi), once owned by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, the man who was the artist's first and most passionate patron and protector.
Here I could see the only ceiling painting by a very young Caravaggio painted in 1597, a rare oil on plaster mural depicting Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.
The villa, usually closed to the public and currently for sale due to an inheritance dispute, also houses masterpieces by Guercino and Domenichino.
It was once part of the vast Villa Ludovisi, one of the largest and most magnificent villas in the history of Rome. It stood on more than 30 hectares, on the ancient Horti Sallustiani. The villa served as a cultural and artistic hub, hosting a remarkable collection of classical sculptures, Baroque paintings, and ornate gardens.
Today, only the Casino dell'Aurora survives, making this visit a truly rare glimpse into a lost Roman treasure.
Caravaggio's Counter-Reformation
The artist's work highlights the power and modernity of his paintings, revealing an artistic and cultural revolution through groundbreaking innovations that transformed the artistic, religious, and social landscape of his time.
Caravaggio did not simply paint - he invaded. His characters did not sit still within gilded frames; they came to life: wounded, defiant, desperate, real. His chiaroscuro lives on in the collective imagination, even though his artistic career was relatively short, spanning approximately 15 years, beginning with his arrival in Rome.
Caravaggio and I
Caravaggio stole my heart not only for his art but also for his deep connection with Malta. He arrived here from Naples in 1607 and, for a brief time, became a knight of the Order of St John. During his stay, he painted between five and seven works.
Unfortunately, his time on the island ended as dramatically as it began. He was imprisoned in Fort St Angelo, then escaped to Sicily under mysterious circumstances.
A few years ago, I visited his presumed tomb in Porto Ercole, Tuscany, where his remains were discovered in 2010. Even in death, Caravaggio remains as haunting, elusive, and as unforgettable as his paintings.
Final Reflection
We often talk about how art changes us, but rarely do we feel it so deeply. At Caravaggio 2025, I did. The genius of the artist and the magnificence of the palace came together to create something unforgettable.
If I ever doubted that beauty could take my breath away, that doubt vanished when I visited the Caravaggio retrospective exhibition.
The chiaroscuro master really and truly showed me what the Barbarians did not destroy, echoing an old saying related to the Barberini family. These claimed to have assembled their palaces from spoils the invaders left behind. Through families like the Barberini, Rome transformed ruins into splendour.
