Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller
All images © byRoberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write toromapip@quipo.it.
Notes:
Page revised in November 2020.
(just the most interesting ones)(a detail ofMuseo della Civiltà Romana)
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 whichper sè 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.
Location of the main museums (1912 clickable map)
| Name | Location | Comment |
| Museo delleTerme di Diocleziano | Via E. de Nicola 78 (K4) | 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 Terme | Largo di Villa Peretti, 1 (K4) | A striking collection of ancient statues, mosaics, paintings and coins. A must. |
| Palazzo Altemps | Piazza di S. Apollinare, 44 (E4) | A collection of ancient statues which once belonged to the Ludovisi and embellished theirvilla is now displayed in a late Renaissance palace with a charming loggia. |
| Cripta di Balbo | Via delle Botteghe Oscure, 31 (G7) | 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. |
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme: fresco fromVilla della Farnesina
| Museo e Galleria Borghese | Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5 (I1 | 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 aPalazzo Barberini | Via delle Quattro Fontane 13 (I4) | 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 diPalazzo Spada | Piazza Capo di Ferro 3 (E7) | 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 aPalazzo Corsini | Via della Lungara 10 (D7) | 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 diVilla Giulia | Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9 (NA) | Some of the finest Etruscan statues, tombs and vases in an elegant Renaissance setting. |
| Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna | Viale delle Belle Arti 131 (NA) | 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 diPalazzo Venezia | Via del Plebiscito 118 (G6) | The museum for those interested in minor arts: ceramics, porcelains, bronze statuettes, ivory artefacts, rock crystal jewels. |
| Museo diCastel Sant'Angelo | Lungotevere Castello 50 (D4) | 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 Etnografico | Piazzale Guglielmo Marconi, 14 (atEUR) | It includes part of the artefacts collected by Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), a professor atCollegio Romano; they were sent to him by the Jesuit missions in Asia, Africa and South America. |
| Museo dell'Alto Medioevo | Viale A. Lincoln 3 (atEUR) | A small museum where one learns that theLongobards 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. |
Museo dell'Alto Medioevo: Opus Sectile found nearPorta Marina at Ostia Antica
| Foro Romano | Several access points (H7) | All the periods of the history of Ancient Rome have left a trace on this site: fromLacus Curtius toRostra Vandalica. |
| Palatino | Several access points (H8) | The marbles and the columns of the imperial palaces are gone, but the colossal walls still tell how great was Rome. |
| Colosseo | Piazza del Colosseo (I8) | The "must" of Ancient Rome may leave you likeMarcel Proust after having attended a performance of the great Berma (Remembrance of Things Past). |
| Terme di Caracalla | Viale Terme di Caracalla, 52 (J11) | A still unsurpassed fitness centre and in summer the site ofopera performances. |
| Ostia Antica | Viale dei Romagnoli, 717 (NA) | The harbour of Ancient Rome was a cosmopolitan and tolerant city and its ruins offer a clue to figure out its everyday life. |
Ostia Antica: "Decumanus Maximus" near the Forum
IV - Museums belonging to the Holy See
| Musei Vaticani | Viale Vaticano 49 (A3) | Its many sections make it theLouvre of Rome: unfortunately short opening hours do not allow enough time to see them all and some sections are not always open. |
| Museo Storico Vaticano | Piazza di S. Giovanni in Laterano (L9) | The container, the palace built byPope Sixtus V, prevails on the content, which illustrates the history of the Papal State. |
(left) Coat of arms of Pope Sixtus V at Museo Storico Vaticano; (right) the very simple sedan chair used by Pope John XXIII at Musei Vaticani
V - Museums belonging to the City of Rome
| Musei Capitolini | Piazza del Campidoglio (H7) | 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 thedomes of Rome. |
| Museo di Roma aPalazzo Braschi | Via di San Pantaleo (E6) | 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 Montemartini | Via Ostiense 106 (NA) | 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 Civiltà Romana | Piazza G. Agnelli, 10 (atEUR) | A collection of copies of Roman monuments in Europe, Africa and Asia, with many large scale models of buildings and events. |
Centrale Montemartini: late Ist century BC relief. It was found atHorti Sallustiani
Museo della Civiltà Romana: large scale model of Rome in the early IVth century
| Galleria Doria Pamphilj | Piazza del Collegio Romano 2 (G6) | A rich collection of works by Caravaggio, Velazquez, Bernini and Algardi displayed according to the XVIIIth century taste. |
| Galleria Colonna | Piazza SS. Apostoli 66 (H5) | In addition to the fine collection of paintings it is worth visiting for the ceilings celebratingMarcantonio II Colonna and his role in the battle of Lepanto. |
Galleria Doria Pamphilj: orange and lemon trees in the courtyard
The image used as background for this page shows Apollo del Belvedere, a masterpiece of Musei Vaticani.
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