Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne is a masterpiece by Baldassarre Peruzzi, who built it in 1532-1536 on a site of three contiguous palaces owned by the old Roman Massimo family that were destroyed during the Sack of Rome (1527). 

The curved façade was dictated by foundations built upon the stands for the stadium (odeon) of the emperor Domitian. The façade is renown as one of the most masterful of its time, combining both elegance with stern rustication.

The entrance is characterized by a central portico with the six Doric columns. In addition, there is a variation of size of windows for different levels, and the decorative frames of the windows of the third floor. The interior ceilings and vestibules are elaborately ornamented with rosettes and coffered roofs. 

The chapel on the 2nd floor was a room where the 14 year old Paolo Massimo, son of Fabrizio Massimo, was recalled briefly to life by Saint Philip Neri in March 16, 1583. The interior of the palace is open to public only on that day.

At the beginning of the 19th century the building was connected to the adjacent palazzo of Pirro.