Museums in Rome

Rome is the site of some of the most important museums and galleries in the world. In addition to the Vatican Museums, the following are some of the most important:

Museums you cannot miss

Borghese Gallery
Located in the gardens of the Villa Borghese, the Borghese Gallery is one of the most famous and prestigious museums in the world. It houses sculptures by Bernini and Canova.
Capitoline Museums
The Capitoline Museums are located in the Piazza del Campidoglio, and they constitute the main municipal museum of Rome. They are located in the Palazzo dei Conservatori and in the Palazzo Nuovo.

National Museum of Rome

The "Museo Nazionale Romano" consists of 4 locations. The four museums offer a combined ticket, and the price-quality ratio is excellent.

Palazzo Massimo
Known as Palazzo Massimo alle Terme due to its proximity to the Baths of Diocletian, this 19th century Renaissance palace houses the best preserved Roman frescoes in the world.
Palazzo Altemps
The Palazzo Altemps hosts an important collection of Greek and Roman sculpture in a spectacular setting: a 15th-century palace built by the Riario family.
Baths of Diocletian
With a capacity of 3000 people, the Baths of Diocletian were the largest bath complex in Ancient Rome. Nowadays, it houses part of the National Museum of Rome.
Balbi Crypt
The Balbi Crypt offers a historical trip through Rome’s past by the excavations carried out on its sites. It’s the least interesting part of the National Museum of Rome.

Other museums of interest

National Gallery of Modern Art
Paul Cezanne, Antonio Canova, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh… Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna is one of the best art museums in Italy.
Palazzo Barberini
The Palazzo Barberini is a splendid Baroque construction that houses the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica. In addition to the collection, the building itself is worth a visit.
Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
The Palazzo Doria Pamphilj is the best-known private art gallery in Rome. It is home to works by artists such as Raphael, Tiziano, Caravaggio, Velazquez and Bernini.
Villa Giulia
Created in 1899, the Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia houses works from pre-Roman Italian antiquity, especially from the Etruscan world. Its gardens are exceptional.
Villa Farnesina
The Villa Farnesina is a mansion built between 1505 and 1511. It is one of the most magnificent Renaissance buildings still standing in Rome.

Less noteworthy museums

Museo di Roma
Located in the Palazzo Braschi, the Museo di Roma shows the social context and artistic endeavours that were carried out in Rome from the Middle Ages until the beginning of the 20th century.
Palazzo Venezia
The Palazzo Venezia is a Renaissance building that houses exhibitions of works of art dating from the beginning of the Common Era through the beginning of the Renaissance.
Galleria Spada
The Galleria Spada displays a collection of art from the 16th and 17th centuries. Its biggest attraction is the gallery of false perspective created by Borromini.
Keats-Shelley House
The Keats-Shelley House is a house-museum dedicated to romantic poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley.