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Visit Rome following 8 XVIIIth century itineraries XVIIIth century Rome in the 10 Books of Giuseppe Vasi - Le Magnificenze di Roma Antica e Moderna The Grand View of Rome by G. Vasi The Environs of Rome: Frascati, Tivoli, Albano and other small towns near Rome A 1781 map of Rome by G. Vasi An 1852 map of Rome by P. Letarouilly Rome seen by a 1905 armchair traveller in the paintings by Alberto Pisa The 14 historical districts of Rome An abridged history of Rome How to spend a peaceful day in Rome Baroque sculptors and their works The coats of arms of the popes in the monuments of Rome Pages on a specific pope Pages complementing the itineraries and the views by Giuseppe Vasi Walks in the Roman countryside and in other towns of Latium following Ferdinand Gregorovius A Directory of links to the Churches of Rome A Directory of links to the Palaces and Villas of Rome A Directory of links to the Other Monuments of Rome A Directory of Baroque Architects with links to their works A Directory of links to Monuments of Ancient Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Medieval Rome A Directory of links to Monuments of Renaissance A Directory of links to Monuments of the Late Renaissance A list of the most noteworthy Roman Families Directories of fountains, obelisks, museums, etc. Books and guides used for developing this web site An illustrated Glossary of Art Terms Venice and the Levant Roman recollections in Florence A list of Italian towns shown in this web site Venetian Fortresses in Greece Vienna seen by an Italian XVIIIth century traveller A list of foreign towns shown in this web site
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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.

To the Italian visitors of my web site

Museums of Rome Museums of Rome

Rome is an open air museum: many works of arts embellish its streets and squares and its churches contain paintings and sculptures of the greatest artists from Michelangelo to Raphael, from Rubens to Bernini.
The museums of Rome complement the treasures on display in streets and churches with a variety of collections which are usually located in palaces which per sč are a work of art, so that often the container is as important as its contents.
The following is a list of the main museums and archaeological areas (which often include a museum) of Rome. Links to the museum web sites are usually to the Italian entry page which is more likely to be timely updated to reflect changes in opening hours, ticket prices and booking arrangements.

Map of the museums Museo Nazionale Romano alle Terme di Diocleziano Museo Nazionale Romano a Palazzo Massimo Museo Nazionale Romano a Palazzo Altemps> Museo Nazionale Romano alla Cripta di Balbo Museo e Galleria Borghese Galleria d'Arte Antica a Palazzo Barberini Galleria di Palazzo Spada Galleria d'Arte Antica a Palazzo Corsini Museo Etrusco a Villa Giulia Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna Museo di Palazzo Venezia Museo di Castel Sant'Angelo Museo Etnografico Pigorini Museo della Civiltą Romana Foro Romano Palatino Colosseo Terme di Caracalla Ostia Antica Musei Vaticani Museo Storico Vaticano Musei Capitolini Museo di Roma a Palazzo Braschi Centrale Montemartini Galleria Doria-Pamphili Galleria Colonna Museo dell'Alto Medioevo
Location of the main museums (1912 map)

Legend:

I - Museo Nazionale Romano
NameLocationComment
Museo delle Terme di DioclezianoVia E. de Nicola 78 (K4)
Web site		It is located in part in Diocletian's Baths and in part in a nearby monastery designed by Michelangelo. Its epigraphic collection helps understanding the variety of beliefs which coexisted in Rome during the Empire.
Palazzo Massimo alle TermeLargo di Villa Peretti, 1 (K4)
Web site		A striking collection of ancient statues, mosaics, paintings and coins. A must.
Palazzo AltempsPiazza di S. Apollinare, 44 (E4)
Web site		A collection of ancient statues which once belonged to the Ludovisi and embellished their villa is now displayed in a late Renaissance palace with a charming loggia.
Cripta di BalboVia delle Botteghe Oscure, 31 (G7)
Web site		A selection of ancient exhibits aimed at explaining the transition of Rome from the Empire to the Middle Ages: it includes a visit to the walls of a Roman theatre.

II - Other National Museums
Museo e Galleria BorghesePiazzale Scipione Borghese 5 (I1)
Web site		The two hours allowed for the visit are not enough to thoroughly appreciate the paintings and statues collected by the Borghese.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica a Palazzo BarberiniVia delle Quattro Fontane 13 (I4)
Web site		A fine collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings in a palace designed by Bernini with the assistance of Borromini and decorated by Pietro da Cortona.
Galleria di Palazzo SpadaPiazza Capo di Ferro 3 (E7)
Web site		The collection of XVIIth century paintings assembled by Cardinal Bernardino Spada is still arranged according to its owner's wishes.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica a Palazzo CorsiniVia della Lungara 10 (D7)
Web site		A wing of the large palace houses the collection of paintings of Cardinal Corsini: some rooms belong to the earlier palace where Cristina, Queen of Sweden, lived.
Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa GiuliaPiazzale di Villa Giulia 9 (NA)
Web site 		Some of the finest Etruscan statues, tombs and vases in an elegant Renaissance setting.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte ModernaViale delle Belle Arti 131 (NA)
Web site		A very well arranged collection of paintings and sculptures of the XIXth and XXth century, including a large number of Macchiaioli and Futurist paintings.
Museo di Palazzo VeneziaVia del Plebiscito 118 (G6)
Web site		The museum for those interested in minor arts: ceramics, porcelains, bronze statuettes, ivory artefacts, rock crystal jewels.
Museo di Castel Sant'AngeloLungotevere Castello 50 (D4)
Web site		A journey through the history of the building from the inner Roman circular street to the Renaissance apartments of the popes and their trap-doors.
Museo Nazionale Preistorico EtnograficoPiazzale Guglielmo Marconi, 14 (at EUR)
Web site		It includes part of the artefacts collected by Athanasius Kircher (1602-80), a professor at Collegio Romano; they were sent to him by the Jesuit missions in Asia, Africa and South America.
Museo dell'Alto MedioevoViale A. Lincoln 3 (at EUR)A small museum where one learns that the Longobards praised their horses more than their women. A stunning IVth century Roman hall excavated at Ostia Antica is a very recent addition to the museum.

Opus Sectile
Museo dell'Alto Medioevo: Opus Sectile at Porta Marina (Ostia Antica)

III - Archaeological Areas
Foro RomanoSeveral access points (H7)
Archeoroma Web site		All the periods of the history of Ancient Rome have left a trace on this site: from Lacus Curtius to Rostra Vandalica.
PalatinoPiazza S. Maria Nova, 53 (H8)
Web site		The marbles and the columns of the imperial palaces are gone, but the colossal walls still tell how great was Rome.
ColosseoPiazza del Colosseo (I8)
Web site		The "must" of Ancient Rome may leave you like Marcel Proust after having attended a performance of the great Berma (In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower).
Terme di CaracallaViale Terme di Caracalla, 52 (J11)
Web site		A still unsurpassed fitness centre and in summer the site of opera performances.
Ostia AnticaViale dei Romagnoli, 717 (NA)
Archeoroma Web Site		The harbour of Ancient Rome was a cosmopolitan and tolerant city and its ruins offer a clue to figure out its everyday life.

IV - Museums belonging to the Holy See
Musei VaticaniViale Vaticano 49 (A3)
Web site		Its many sections make it the Louvre of Rome: unfortunately short opening hours do not allow enough time to see them all.
Museo Storico VaticanoPiazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano (L9)The container, the palace built by Pope Sixtus V, prevails on the content, which illustrates the history of the Papal State.

Opus Sectile
Museo Storico Vaticano: (left) coat of arms of Pope Sixtus V; (right) the very simple sedan chair used by Pope Johannes XXIII

V - Museums belonging to the City of Rome
Musei CapitoliniPiazza del Campidoglio (H7)
Web site		The collections were started by the popes in the XVIth century and include a large number of Roman statues: the terrace offers a striking view on the domes of Rome.
Museo di Roma a Palazzo BraschiVia di San Pantaleo (E6)
Web site		The last Roman palace built by the relatives of a pope is worth visiting for its paintings illustrating Rome and its environs in the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries.
Centrale MontemartiniVia Ostiense 106 (NA)
Web site		A former power plant where the City of Rome has placed some of its ancient statues. It is an interesting blend of industrial and traditional archaeology.
Museo della Civiltą RomanaPiazza G. Agnelli, 10 (at EUR)
Web site		A collection of copies of Roman monuments in Europe, Africa and Asia, with many large scale models of buildings and events.

Opus Sectile
Museo della Civiltą Romana: large scale model of Rome in the early IVth century

VI - Private Collections
Galleria Doria PamphiljPiazza del Collegio Romano 2 (G6)
Web site		A rich collection of works by Caravaggio, Velazquez, Bernini and Algardi displayed according to the XVIIIth century taste.
Galleria ColonnaPiazza SS. Apostoli 66 (H5)
Web site		In addition to the fine collection of paintings it is worth visiting for the ceilings celebrating Marcantonio II Colonna and his role in the battle of Lepanto.

The image used as background for this page shows Apollo del Belvedere, a masterpiece of the Vatican Museums.