A glorious array of art is returning to one of Rome's finest palazzi after an Italian army officers' club was evicted after 50 years.
"Where there were kitchens, art is shining out again", said Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli after unveiling the first restored rooms in Palazzo Barberini, boasting works by 16th-century masters Caravaggio and Guercino.
The next stage of the restoration will renew a reception hall with famous frescos by the Baroque pioneer Pietro da Cortona.
This so-called 'sala dipinta' (painted room) also boasts remarkable Oriental-style columns and impressive decorations in the finest marble.
The restoration, made possible by an agreement with the defence ministry last October, has also uncovered the remains of a 1st-century AD Roman house, whose frescoed walls will adorn a new entrance to the gallery.
The agreement that found new quarters for the officers has already freed rooms with works by Fra Filippo Lippi, Perugino, Raphael, and Luca Giordano.
The restoration work will eventually boost Palazzo Barberini's exhibition space to some 10,000 square metres - although the re-opening will be gradual.
The final touches on the new gallery will come in 2009.
"We made a commitment and we are sticking to it," Rutelli said.
Located in the heart of Rome, the sumptuous 17th-century palace was acquired by the State in 1949 to house the vast art collections donated by the city's Barberini, Torlonia, Chigi, Odescalchi and Colonna di Sciarra patrician families.
But most of the collections remained in storage because of the long tug-of-war between the defence and culture ministries over the officers' club which occupied a major section of the building.
