Caravaggio ceiling fresco goes on show in Rome.

A historic Rome villa with the world's only known ceiling painting by Caravaggio will open its doors exclusively to visitors of the blockbuster show dedicated to the Baroque genius.

The Casino di Villa Boncompagni Ludovisi, better known as Villa Aurora, is home to the 25th work in Caravaggio 2025 - the Rome exhibition that everyone is talking about.

From Saturday 29 March until Sunday 6 July, visitors to the Caravaggio exhibition at Palazzo Barberini will also have the unique opportunity to admire the Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto mural in Villa Aurora.

The allegorical scene, commissioned in the late 16th century by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte for his alchemy laboratory, was subsequently covered over and was only rediscovered in 1968.

A small taste of the Caravaggio blockbuster, hailed as one of the most important, ambitious exhibitions ever dedicated to the Baroque master, opening in Rome on Friday. pic.twitter.com/n8t8Qpr9s0

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) March 6, 2025

Jupiter, accompanied by an eagle, represents sulphur and air; Neptune, with a hippocamp, stands for mercury and water; and Pluto, with the three-headed dog Cerberus, represents salt and earth.

The mural, which measures 2.75 metres wide and is located in a small room on the first floor, depicts Jupiter reaching out to move the celestial sphere in which the sun revolves around the earth.

How to visit

Subject to prior reservation, ticket-holders of the Caravaggio exhibition can visit Villa Aurora on Saturdays and Sundays and join special guided tours for groups of up to 20 people at a time.

In addition to seeing the Caravaggio ceiling painting, visitors can admire a lavish fresco created by the Italian Baroque painter Guercino in 1621 of the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, which gives the building its name.

Visits to the villa, located on Via Lombardia 46 (off Via Veneto), cost €12 and take place on Saturdays and Sundays at 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00.

For more details see Palazzo Barberini website. Photo Andrea Benedetti / Caravaggio.