Which museums in Rome are worth seeing in the first place? In this article, BlogoItaliano has compiled for you the 7 most notable museums in Rome that are worth mapping your visit to the Eternal City. Immediately make a reservation that common attractions such as the Colosseum or the Roman Forum, as well as the Vatican Museums will remain outside the scope of this article. As the name implies, we will focus exclusively on the most interesting MUSEUMS of Rome.
Helpful advice: Before we get to the overview of the most interesting museums in Rome, we recommend installing a mobile audio guide in the center of Rome for the iPhone. This is a useful application that will save you a lot of money on sightseeing tours and help you learn all the most important things.
The audio guide consists of two ready-made routes covering the main attractions. All objects are plotted on a convenient map, GPS tracks location, and stories work even without the Internet. In the trial version, the first 5 excursion points are available for free, and a full audio guide will cost much less than even the most economical excursions - only a few euros. You can download the application on your iPhone on this page.
National Museum of Rome
At the end of the XIX century, Rome began to grow rapidly. During the construction of new buildings and roads, many historical artifacts were discovered. Valuable finds needed to be placed somewhere, and in 1889 the National Museum opened in the monastery of St. Mary.
Today, the Museo Nazionale Romano complex consists of four branches: Massimo Palace, Thermae Diocletian, Crypt Balbi and Altemps Palace, where samples of ancient Roman and ancient Greek art are stored. To visit the entire museum complex, you can purchase a single ticket, which is valid for three days.
The number of exhibits in the Palazzo Altemps exceeds several hundred
Palace of massimo
The Palazzo Massimo alle Terme boasts the largest collection of antique coins: it stores the money used by Julius Caesar himself. The numismatic exposition is adjacent to the exhibition of Roman amber and jewelry, as well as sculptures and sarcophagi. One of the museum’s most valuable exhibits is the mummy of an 8-year-old girl dating from the 2nd century BC.
The Baths of Diocletian
The baths were erected in the years 298-305 and were intended for all free citizens of Rome, including the poorest. In the XIV century, two churches were built on the site of some halls, so the terms have survived to this day only in relative safety. Today you can find an extensive collection of epigraphy, in which there are over 10 thousand inscriptions with illustrations.
Bathrooms for free citizens of Rome were erected in 298-305.
Crypt Balbi
Crypta Balbi is located among the ruins of a theater erected in the 1st century BC. by order of the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Balba. Archaeological finds, arranged in chronological order, familiarize visitors with the evolution of the city from ancient times to the Middle Ages.
Altemps Palace
Palazzo Altemps is interesting with a rich collection of sculptures from the collections of the family of Ludovisi, Mattei and others. In the XVII century, Cardinal Louis Ludovisi bought valuable exhibits from Roman aristocrats, thereby laying the foundation for a future collection. Today, the number of exhibits exceeds several hundred, among them - the famous sculpture of the gall, which kills himself and his wife, the relief "Birth of Venus", bronze Roman copies of sculptures of the ancient Greeks.
Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 9: 00-19: 45 (Thermae of Diocletian 9: 00-19: 30), Museums are closed on January 1 and December 25. The opening hours of museums may vary depending on the season.
Addresses:
- Palazzo Massimo Palazzo Massimo - largo di Villa Peretti, 1
- Theme of Diocletian Terme de Diocleziano - via E. De Nicola, 79
- Crypta Balbi - via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31
- Palazzo Altemps Palazzo Altemps - piazza di S. Apollinare, 48
Tickets: 1 ticket is valid for visiting all 4 buildings of the National Museum of Rome for 3 days: adult - 8 Euro, children - free (up to 17 years)
Borghese Gallery
They say that the founder of one of the most valuable paintings in the world, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, appreciated art so much that he was ready to take any steps in order to get another masterpiece.
By his order, valuable canvases were even stolen, not to mention how often the cardinal used his official position to confiscate or buy for nothing the works of art that interested him.
The Gallery has the world's largest collection of works by Caravaggio and Bernini
And yet, it was thanks to Cardinal Borghese in Rome that a gallery appeared, which today houses the largest collection of works by Caravaggio and Bernini in the world, as well as numerous masterpieces of great Italian and European painters.
In total, over 500 paintings and several hundred sculptures are presented to the public in 20 halls. The gallery itself, decorated with frescoes, mosaics and stucco molding, causes no less excitement than the works stored in it.
An important feature of this museum of Rome is the system of admission of visitors: tourists are allowed into the gallery every two hours in a strictly defined quantity. Because of this, the Borghese Gallery is rightfully considered one of the most inaccessible museums in all of Italy, and tickets here are often sold out a few days, or even weeks before the actual date of visit.
The gallery, decorated with frescoes and stucco, is in itself a delight
To get to the Gallery it is recommended to purchase tickets in advance via the Internet or plan your visit as part of an organized tour in Russian.
| Check schedule and availability of tickets ››› |
- Opening hours: Tue-Sun: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
- Address: piazzale del Museo Borghese, 5
Capitoline Museums
The world's oldest public museum dates back to the 15th century, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of antique bronze statues from Lateran to the city.
The oldest public museum in the world dates back to the 15th century
Today, the collection of the Capitoline Museums occupies three palace rooms on Capitol Hill and includes sculptural compositions, archaeological artifacts and jewels of Ancient Rome.
The most famous exhibit of the Museums is the sculpture "Capitoline Wolf". Part of the collection is occupied by the Capitoline Pinacoteca with the masterpieces of Rubens, Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto and other masters.
In the New Palace (Palazzo Nuovo) you can see the very sculptures of Sixtus IV, which laid the foundation for the Capitoline Museums: Venus Capitoline, Cupid and Psyche, a resting satyr and many others. Unique mosaics from the villa of Emperor Hadrian are also exhibited here.
Capitoline Wolf - the most famous exhibit of Museums
- Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 9: 30-19: 30, December 24 and 31, 9: 30-14: 00
- Museums are closed: January 1, May 1 and December 25
- Address: Piazza del Campidoglio, 1
- Tickets: adult - 15 Euro
National Etruscan Museum
The largest Etruscan history museum in the world is located on the territory of Villa Giulia, the surviving third of the architectural complex built in 1555 for Pope Julius the Third.
For several centuries, Villa Giulia managed to be a warehouse, military barracks, hospital and school, until at the end of the XIX century the building was transferred to the care of the state.
The world's largest Etruscan history museum
Among the exhibits telling about the culture of a vanished civilization, today you can find coins and jewelry, ceramic and bronze items. The age of some of them reaches 2600 years. A significant part of the exposition is dedicated to the burial cult of the Etruscans.
- Opening hours: Tue-Sun: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- The museum is closed on Mondays, January 1 and December 25
- Address: Piazzale di Villa Giulia, 9
National Gallery of Ancient Art
The National Gallery of Ancient Art (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica) occupies two palaces at once: Barberini and Corsini.
In the Barberini Palace you will find paintings by Caravaggio, Titian and El Greco. For three centuries, the palace belonged to the family of Cardinal Barberini, until they had to sell their family estate to the state.
Since then, the exposition of the National Gallery of Art and the Officer Assembly have been housed here.
In the Corsini Palace, in addition to the same Caravaggio, you can see the paintings of Rubens and Brueghel. The palace itself was erected in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 18th century.
In the Palazzo Corsini you can see the paintings of Rubens and Brueghel
- Opening hours of the Palazzo Barberini: Tue-Sun: 8: 30-19: 00, Mon - day off, closed January 1, May 1 and December 25
- Address of Palazzo Barberini: via delle Quattro Fontane, 13
- Opening hours of the Palazzo Corsini: Wed-Mon: 8: 30-19: 00, Tue - day off. January 1, May 1 and December 25 the museum is closed
- Address of Palazzo Corsini: via della Lungara, 10
Castle of the Holy Angel
In this castle, Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei and Benvenuto Cellini languished in a prison cell. The cellars of the castle began to function as a prison under the pontiffs who made the fortress their residence.
Until the middle of the III century, the future fortress was used as a tomb, and it was conceived by the emperor Andrian, who ordered the construction of the mausoleum in 135.
One version of the origin of the name says that the angel was seen by the Romans walking along the procession. In the midst of the plague at the end of the 6th century, they saw on the roof of the castle of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword and considered this a good sign - soon the plague really receded. The sculpture itself of an angel appeared here only in 1753.
These walls are remembered by Galileo, Giordano Bruno and other famous prisoners
Today, in 58 rooms of the 7-level Castle of St. Angel, a museum is located, which includes an armory, a treasury, a library, rooms of Pius V, a torture room and other premises. The castle terrace serves as a wonderful observation deck overlooking the ancient city.
- Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 9.00-19.30
- Address: Lungotevere Castello, 1
- Tickets can be purchased online
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Museum MAXXI
The MAXXI Museum of Art (Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo), which contains the best examples of contemporary art of the 21st century, will help to dilute the impressions of immersing in the past of Rome.
The first exhibits appeared here in 2010, and since then the museum’s collection has regularly been replenished with new masterpieces from around the world.
The exterior of this Rome museum is no less impressive than its collection - the futuristic design project belongs to the famous Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid.
The museum contains the best examples of contemporary art of the XXI century
In addition to exhibition halls, the complex includes a research center, a library, a room for seminars and trainings, as well as a cafe and a bookstore.
- Opening hours: Tue-Fri, Sun 11: 00-19: 00; Sat 11: 00-22: 00
- Address: via Guido Reni, 4 / a
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And finally, a short video about the most important sights of Rome:
