An exceptional trio of architects, Maderno, Borromini and Bernini, worked on this majestic building. In 1622, Francesco Barberini, nephew of the emerging Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, soon to become Pope Urban VIII, acquired a rustic villa in this area from the Sforza family and commissioned Maderno to reconstruct it.

Although the original plan was for a much smaller building, the villa became an urban residence fit for a papal family, a palace with large gardens and open perspectives, similar to the conception of the villa Farnesina.
When Maderno died in 1629, Borromini who had already worked on some parts of the project, hoped to be put in charge but he was supplanted by the much better-known Bernini. Borromini's disappointment provided the foundation for the continuing conflict between the two artists.
The building was acquired by the Italian State in 1949 and now houses the Gallery of Arte Antica. Some of the most important collections in Rome provided the 1500 paintings and 2000 other artistic works.