When Maffeo Barbarini was elected to the papal throne in 1623, he became Pope Urban VIII.  A patron of the arts, a protector of artists and even Galileo at one point, his reign lasted for 20 years.  It is known that he held many fabulous salon-type get togethers at the family villa in Rome.

If you look closer, you will notice the abundance of bees.... everywhere.  On the family crest, as well as just plain decorative elements on many surfaces.

If you are interested, this link to Rome and the Barbarini Bee gives a more thorough archive of lovely bee decorations:  Barbarini

When the Apiarium was published, the authors dedicated the work to the newly elected Pope.  This impressive study of bees included illustrations whose precision and detail was made possible by special microscope lenses created by Galileo.  The bee is an amazing thing.... where would all life be without the wee chap?  Well, there would be no life.  Bees are industrious, life-giving, necessary, all qualities of the leadership of Pope Urban VIII.  

The Palazzo Barbarini is a marvelous place.  I could live there.  It is filled with a trove of glorious things.  You move from one room to another, imagining that you live there, taking in the beauty.

You will visit some old friends, part of the permanent collection:

And, apparently the Galleria Borghese has loaned some works for a period while some work is being done over there.  So you can gaze on the exquisite beauty of La Bella Farnese:

Or, one of my favorites, Titian's Susana and the Elders:

From this villa of Splendor it is only about a 13 minute walk to one of my favorite restaurants.  This place has a groovy, old world formality that I love so much.  It is a 19th century restaurant that was used as a meeting place by officers and soldiers during the Risorgimento (the movement that made Italy a country in 1861).  There are illustrations and paintings of these men on the walls:

One must celebrate Roman cuisine!  Fried zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh mozzarella and cacio e pepe, a pasta dish made of percorino romano and pepper.  Buono!