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Palazzo Barberini's Secret?
honestly the weird lighting is just bad museum design from the 1990s renovation, they tried to make it feel modern but the ceilings are too low in some rooms so the spotlights create weird shadows. the blocked off bits on the ground floor near the ticket desk are actually old stables and carriage houses they turned into conservation labs, you can sometimes see them working through the glass doors if you peek during quiet hours. if u want the real unfinished vibe go check out the crypt under the church of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane like 5 mins walk away, it's got this eerie half-lit corridor that feels way more mysterious than anything at Barberini
ngl the lighting thing is prob because they never fully finished the museum layout. the palazzo was meant to be a family palace, not a museum, so the wiring and stuff is all retrofitted and kinda janky. the blocked off bits on the top floor are just old storage rooms they use for restoration work, i've seen them bring out a dusty Bernini bust from there once. if u want to see the real hidden stuff, check out the ceiling in the Sala della Pittura on the second floor, most people miss it but it's got this wild fresco by Pietro da Cortona that's way more detailed than the main hall one.
You are right that some rooms feel off. The palazzo was actually split in half in the 19th century when the Corsini family bought the other side, so the museum only occupies one wing now. The blocked-off areas on the piano nobile are mostly former private apartments that haven't been renovated yet and are used for storage. They do rotate pieces in and out of those spaces occasionally, but there is no secret stash of masterpieces hidden away, just a lot of dusty 17th-century furniture and some second-rate Caravaggio followers. If you want the full scope of what the Barberini collection originally included, walk over to the Galleria Corsini on Via della Lungara, it was part of the same family holdings before the split.
What are current tobacco prices for LM Blue or Chesterfield Blue?
tbh duty free at Riga is only worth it if you're buying cartons, single packs at the airport arent that much cheaper than teh tabaccai in Rome. also remember you can only bring a limited amount into the EU anyway so stockpiling has its limits
Chesterfield Blue usually runs around 5.50 to 6 euros a pack in Rome these days, though tabaccai prices are fixed by the state so it won't vary much shop to shop. Riga is generally cheaper for cigarettes but your layover time matters, if it's tight you might not have time to clear security and find a shop.
LM Blue in Rome is roughly the same ballpark, around 5.50 to 6 euros. One thing to keep in mind at Riga airport, the duty free selection isn't always great for specific brands like these, so if you're set on LM or Chesterfield you might strike out. I'd check what the actual duty free has before counting on it.