This contribution aims to provide an initial reflection on the paintings in the interiors of the spaces that the Portuguese embassy in Rome successively occupied during the first half of the 18th century, roughly corresponding to the reign of D. João V. In fact, associated with the palace occupied by the Marquis of Fontes, those inhabited by the Count of Galveias, passing through the residence of the ambassador Fr. José Maria da Fonseca Évora, in the Franciscan convent of S. Maria in Aracoeli, to the sumptuous Palazzo dell’Olmo, where Manuel Pereira de Sampaio lived, a significant number of paintings can be identified which have undergone additions and subtractions over this period of time. The aim of this text is to undertake, based on the analysis of primary sources (three inventories and a list of paintings), an approach to these painting, discussing subjects, technical characteristics and authorship, and also reflecting on the extent to which we are dealing with a collection or with a non-collection, a mere gathering of paintings, intended to liven up the walls of the various palaces.