Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) are located on the Piazza del Campidoglio and they constitute Rome’s main municipal museum. The creation of the museum began with the donation of a collection of bronzes belonging to Pope Sixtus IV in 1471, making it one of the oldest museums in the world.

Capitoline Museums and Piazza del Campidoglio

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius

Capitoline Wolf

Capitoline Museums, Colossal Statues

The museum consists of two imposing buildings located on the Piazza del Campidoglio: the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo. Both buildings are linked by the Galleria Lapidaria, a tunnel that takes you under Piazza del Campidoglio without having to leave the museum.

Palazzo dei Conservatori

Opened to the public in 1734, nearly a century after the order of Clement XII, the Palazzo dei Conservatori houses a complete gallery that includes famous works painted by such renowned artists as Caravaggio, Tiziano, Rubens and Tintoretto. It also houses a large collection of busts of well-known personalities.

One of the main attractions to be found in this part of the museum is the original sculpture of the Capitoline Wolf. Other highly valuable works can also be seen, including the Ritratto di Carlo I d'Angiò de Arnolfo di Cambio (1277), the first sculpted portrait of a living person.

One of the most striking areas of the palace is a room covered by glass. Here you can find the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius (the original of the one displayed in the Piazza del Campidoglio) in addition to preserved fragments of several colossal statues.

Palazzo Nuovo

The Palazzo Nuovo is dedicated primarily to the exhibition of most of the sculptural works of the collection, almost all of which are Roman copies of Greek originals.

Among the museum’s greatest works is the Capitoline Venus, a marble sculpture made between 100 and 150 AD. Other well-known works, such as the Discobolus or the image of Dying Gaul, can also be found here.

In the philosophers’ hall remarkable busts of the main figures of Ancient Greek history are displayed. They previously decorated the gardens and libraries of the wealthy.

Not to be missed

Located in the heart of the city, the two palaces that make up the museum offer an impressive collection of Roman paintings and sculptures, to the delight of the visitor. A must-see.