Apr 19, 2025

Chiostro del Bramante Rome

Peace in Rome's centre

""Chiostro del Bramante" just around Piazza Navona in Rome is basically an art gallery, but you can enter and explore the building free of charge!"

One of my favourite things about Rome is that while it's full of fascinating old buildings, the majority of them aren't considered a big deal. They're just regular churches, apartments, shops that people use every day - which means even without paying for a ticket, you can see some amazing architecture and hidden Roman spaces. This is one of the reasons I love the Chiostro del Bramante, just round the corner from Piazza Navona. 

The space is most well-known as an art gallery, with different exhibitions on every couple of months. For those you need to buy a ticket, and at the weekends there's often long queues to get one - but what most people don't realise is that you can actually enter and explore the building free of charge. 

Just bypass the line and you're in a cloister designed by Donato Bramante during the Renaissance. The courtyard is beautiful, and if you go up stairs to the side you can view the whole thing from a balcony that goes right the way around it. There's even a coffee shop with free wifi, so you can perch on one of the marble seats surrounded the balcony and check your emails, or do a bit of work! A hidden place to get a bit of peace in the centre of Rome.

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