The palace was built in the thirteenth century by the Counts of Segni, then it passed to the Colonna, who were for centuries in conflict with the papacy.
After the destruction by Pope Paul IV, the palace was rebuilt, but, because of the family’s large financial difficulties, in 1614 the entire estate was sold to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V.
He was responsible for the extensions and the final arrangement of the building, which turned into a monumental complex. To do that he engaged the Flemish architect Jan van Santen, known as Giovanni Vasanzio.
They enlarged and united the two separate original structures of the building into one palace by building a monumental three-story gallery.
In addition he designed the double circular staircase and large fireplace decorated with a head of Medusa, attributed to Bernini.
The story goes, that Bernini was very fascinated by the light that penetrated into the palace before Vespers, a carmine red colour, so to represent this in the room to the east, the fireplace featured a human face with an amazed expression.
Inside the building are still preserved frescoes by Paul Bril (a Flemish painter much appreciated in Rome for his landscapes), wooden doors executed by the Roman G.B. Soria, and the statue of Paolina Borghese, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, who married Camillo Borghese, owner of the palace.
In front of the building, Vasanzio created the town's main square, with a spectacular rooftop terrace, a balcony overlooking the Sacco Valley.
The building still belongs to the Borghese family, and can be visited with prior approval of the Princess Nikè Borghese.
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