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Rome Travel Guide The ArtsRome Opera Rome Museums and Galleries Rome MusicLodging Transportation General info Things to Do Attractions Restaurants Shopping |
Rome Museums and Galleries National Roman Museum One of the most important Rome museums and archeological collections in the world, it is split up into five sites. You'll have to travel around the city a bit to see all the archeological exhibits.
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme The palace has been completely restored and holds important statues, splendid floor mosaics coming from Roman villas, and the reconstruction of entire frescoed rooms of the Villa of Livia. Its extremely rich numismatic collection is not to be missed. Largo di Villa Peretti 1, Rome, Italy - phone 06 39 96 77 00
Musei Vaticani This vast museum complex is part of the Vatican Palace and consists of several Rome museums, residence of the popes since 1377. The palace consists of a number of individual buildings containing an estimated 1,400 rooms, chapels, and galleries. The pope and his household occupy only a small part of the palace, most of the rest of which is given over to the Vatican Library and Museums. The collection is extraordinarily rich, but the museums' crowning jewel is the Sistine Chapel. Among the collections on the way to the chapel don't be lazy to travel into the Egyptian Museum (in which Room II reproduces an underground chamber tomb of the Valley of Kings ) well worth a stop. The Chiaramonti Museum was organized by the neoclassical sculptor Canova and contains almost 1,000 copies of classical sculpture. The gems of the Vatican 's sculpture collection are in the Pio-Clementino Museum, however. Just off the hall in Room X, you'll find the Apoxyomenos (Scraper), a beautiful 1st-century AD copy of a bronze statue of an athlete. There are other even more famous pieces in the Octagonal Courtyard, where Pope Julius II installed the greatest pieces from his private collection. An adjacent hall dedicated to animals is filled with sculpture and mosaics done in colored marble, some of them very charming. There is a gallery of classical statues and a Gallery of Busts; the smallish Mask Room displays a lively mosaic pavement from the emperor Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli just outside Rome, and a copy of the 4th-century BC Greek sculptor Praxiteles' Cnidian Venus. In the Hall of the Muses, the Belvedere Torso occupies center stage: this is a fragment of a 1st-century BC statue, probably of Hercules, all rippling muscles and classical dignity, much admired by Michelangelo. The lovely neoclassical room of the Rotonda has an ancient mosaic pavement and a huge porphyry basin from Nero's palace, as well as several colossal statues. The room on the Greek-cross plan contains two fine porphyry sarcophagi (great marble burial caskets), one of Costantia and one of St. Helena , mother of the emperor Constantine. Upstairs, the Etruscan Museum holds many objects from the Regolini-Galassi find near Cerveteri, and a wealth of other material as well. Adjacent are three sections of limited interest: the Antiquarium, with Roman originals; three small rooms of Greek originals (followed by a broad staircase lined with Assyrian reliefs); and a vase collection. The domed Sala della Biga comes next. The biga (chariot) group at the center was extensively reconstructed in 1780. The chariot itself is original and was used in the church of San Marco as an episcopal throne. In the Candelabra Gallery, the tall candelabra under the arches are, like the sarcophagi and vases, of ancient origin. The walls facing the windows of the Tapestry Gallery are hung with magnificent tapestries executed in Brussels in the 16th century from designs by Raphael. On the window walls are tapestries illustrating the life of Pope Urban VIII. They were done in a workshop that the Barberini family set up in Rome in the 17th century expressly for this purpose. In the Apartment of Pius V is a small hall hung with tapestries. Facing the windows are the precious 15th-century Passion and Baptism of Christ from Tournai, in Belgium. The Sobieski Room gets its name from a huge painting by the Polish artist Matejko. It shows the Victory of Vienna, a decisive defeat of the invading Ottoman forces in the late 17th century. A massive display case in the Hall of the Immaculate Conception shows some preciously bound volumes containing the text of the papal bull promulgating that particular dogma. Rivaling the Sistine Chapel for artistic interest are the Stanze di Raffaello ( Raphael Rooms ), which are directly over the Borgia apartments and can be very crowded. Pope Julius II moved into this suite of rooms in 1507, four years after his election. Reluctant to continue living in the Borgia apartments with their memories of his ill-famed predecessor, Alexander VI, he called in Raphael to decorate his new quarters. The first in the series is the Incendio Room; it was the last to be painted in Raphael's lifetime, and was executed mainly by Giulio Romano, who worked from Raphael's drawings for the new pope, Leo X. It served as the pope's dining room. The frescoes depict stories of previous popes called Leo, the best of them showing the great fire in the Borgo (the neighborhood between the Vatican and Castel Sant'Angelo), which threatened to destroy the original St. Peter's Basilica in AD 847. Miraculously, Pope Leo IV extinguished it with the sign of the cross. The other frescoes show the coronation of Charlemagne by Leo III in St. Peter's Basilica, the Oath of Leo III, and a naval battle with the Saracens at Ostia in AD 849, after which Pope Leo IV showed clemency to the defeated. The Segnatura Room , the first to be frescoed, was painted almost entirely by Raphael himself (as opposed to the others, which were painted in large part by his assistants). The theme of the room -- which may broadly be said to be "learning" -- reflects the fact that this was Julius's private library. Theology triumphs in the fresco known as the Disputa, or Debate on the Holy Sacrament, on the wall behind you as you enter. Opposite, the School of Athens glorifies philosophy in its greatest exponents. Plato (perhaps a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci), in the center, is debating a point with Aristotle. The pensive figure on the stairs is thought to be modeled after Michelangelo, who was painting the Sistine ceiling at the same time Raphael was working here. Michelangelo does not appear in preparatory drawings, so Raphael may have added his fellow artist's portrait after admiring his work. In the foreground on the right are Euclid, the architect Bramante, and, on the far right, the handsome youth just behind the white-clad older man is Raphael himself. Over the window on the left are Parnassus , who represents poetry, and Apollo, the Muses, and famous poets, many of whom are likenesses of Raphael's contemporaries. In the lunette over the window opposite, Raphael painted figures representing and alluding to the Cardinal and Theological Virtues, and subjects showing the establishment of written codes of law. Beautiful personifications of the four subject areas, Theology, Poetry, Philosophy, and Jurisprudence, are painted in circular pictures on the ceiling above. The Eliodoro Room is a private antechamber. Working on the theme of Divine Providence's miraculous intervention in defense of endangered faith, Raphael depicted Leo the Great's encounter with Attila; it's on the wall to your left as you enter. The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple of Jerusalem, opposite the entrance, refers to Pope Julius II's insistence on the Church's right to temporal possessions. He appears on the left, watching the scene. On the left window wall, the Liberation of St. Peter is one of Raphael's best-known and most effective works. Adjacent to the Raphael Rooms, the Hall of Constantine was decorated by Giulio Romano and other assistants of Raphael after the master's untimely death in 1520. The frescoes represent various scenes from the life of the emperor Constantine. The tiny Chapel of Nicholas V, aglow with Fra Angelico (1395-1455) frescoes of episodes from the life of St. Stephen (above) and St. Lawrence (below), is a gem of Renaissance art. If it weren't under the same roof as Raphael's and Michelangelo's works, it would undoubtedly draw greater attention. When you travel downstairs, you enter the Borgia apartments, where some intriguing historic figures are depicted in the elaborately painted ceilings, designed but only partially executed by Pinturicchio at the end of the 15th century and greatly retouched in later centuries. It's generally believed that Cesare Borgia murdered his sister Lucrezia's husband, Alphonse of Aragon, in the Room of the Sibyl. In the Room of the Saints, Pinturicchio painted his self-portrait in the figure to the left of the possible portrait of the architect Antonio da Sangallo. (His profession is made clear by the fact that he holds a T-square.) The lovely picture of St. Catherine of Alexandria is said to be a representation of Lucrezia Borgia herself. The paintings in the Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery) are almost exclusively of religious subjects and are arranged in chronological order, beginning with works of the 11th and 12th centuries. In the courtyard outside the Pinacoteca you can admire the reliefs from the base of the Colonna di Marco Aurelio, the column in Piazza Colonna. Viale Vaticano, Rome, Italy - Phone 06/69884947 Internet: www.vaticano.va Hours: Mid-Mar.-Oct., weekdays 8:45-4:45, no admission after 3:45; Sat. and last Sun. of month 8:45-1:45, no admission after 12:30; Nov.-mid-Mar., Mon.-Sat. and last Sun. of month 8:45-1:45, no admission after 12:30. Admission: EUR10, free last Sun. of month; audio guide EUR7.
Keats- Shelley Memorial House Autographed documents and memoirs concerning the English Romantic poets Keats, Shelley and Byron. Seems strange to travel to Rome to go to a museum dedicated to these authors, but, nonetheless, for literature lovers - a worthwile visit. Piazza di Spagna 26, Rome , Italy - phone 06 67 84 235 - fax 06 67 84 167
Crypta Balbi Crypt of Balbus. These fascinating remains of a porticoed courtyard and theater built in 13 BC, now part of the Museo Nazionale Romano, afford a unique look at Roman history. Rather than focus on one era, the museum peels back the layers of the site, following the latest techniques in conservation. The well-explained exhibits (with text in English and Italian) give you a tangible sense of the sweeping changes that this spot -- and Rome -- underwent from antiquity to the 20th century. A partially restored wall provides an example of what marble and tufa constructions looked like before weather took its toll and medieval builders stripped the marble off for reuse. Copies of documents and reconstructed coins and other everyday objects found in drains, rubbish dumps, and tombs are a window into the world of the people who lived and worked here over the ages.
Via Delle Botteghe Oscure 31, Rome , Italy – Phone 06/39967700 Hours: Tues.-Sun. 9-7:45 Admission: EUR4
Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Antica The city's finest collection of paintings, of all the Rome museums, from the 13th to the 18th century is installed in Palazzo Barberini. Both Bernini and Borromini worked on this massive building, but the overall plan of Rome 's most splendid 17th-century palace was produced by Carlo Maderno. Pope Urban VIII had acquired the property and given it to a nephew, who was determined to build an edifice worthy of his generous uncle and the ever-more-powerful Barberini clan. You'll get an idea of the grandeur of the place as you visit the museum. Entering the palace, you climb a broad marble staircase designed by Bernini. On the main floor (keep your ticket handy, because you'll have to show it again upstairs) you'll find several magnificent paintings, including Raphael's Fornarina, a luminous portrait of the artist's lover, cleaned and restored to reveal a jeweled ring and a bracelet on her upper arm bearing Raphael's name. A dramatic Caravaggio depicts a lovely young Judith wearing an expression of defiance and horror as she severs the head of Holofernes. There's a Holbein portrait of Henry VIII in the finery he donned for his wedding to Anne of Cleves in 1540, and two small but striking El Grecos. The palace's large main salon is part of the gallery. It was decorated in the 1630s by Pietro da Cortona and is a spectacular and surprisingly early example of the baroque practice of glorifying patrons by depicting them on the ceiling as part of the heavenly host. In this case, Pope Urban VIII appears as the agent of Divine Providence. Also prominent in this glowing vault are some huge Barberini bees, the heraldic symbol of the family. Upstairs you'll find an array of 17th- and 18th-century paintings, including some views of Rome by Vanvitelli and Canaletto.
Internert: www.galleriaborghese.it Hours: Tues.-Sun. 9-7. Admission: EUR5
Galleria Nazionale D'arte Moderna National Gallery of Modern Art. This massive white beaux arts building looks anything but modern, yet it contains one of Italy 's leading collections of 19th- and 20th-century works. It's primarily dedicated to the history of Italian modernism, examining the movement's development over the last two centuries, but crowd-pleasers Degas, Monet, Courbet, van Gogh, and Cézanne put in appearances along with an outstanding Dadaist collection.
Hours: Tues.-Sun. 8:30-7:30; later in summer Admisson: EUR6.50
Wax Museum Similar other international and Rome museums of wax figures, this one showacases around 250 wax statues of famous personalities, many of whom are presented in faithfully reconstructed settings. Piazza S.S. Apostoli 67, Rome, Italy - phone/fax 06 67 96 482
Museo E Gallaria Borghese The Casino Borghese, as the building is known, was erected partly to house Cardinal Scipione Borghese's rich collections of painting and sculpture, partly to provide an elegant venue for summer parties and musical evenings. It was never intended to be, nor was it ever, lived in. Now the building is less celebrated than the collections housed inside -- including one of the finest collections of baroque sculpture anywhere. Certainly one of the most famous works in the collection is Canova's sculpture of Pauline Borghese. It's technically known as Venus Victrix, but there has never been any doubt as to its real subject. Pauline reclines on a Roman sofa, bare-bosomed, her hips swathed in classical drapery, the very model of haughty detachment and sly come-hither. Camillo Borghese seems to have been remarkably unconcerned that his wife had posed for this erotic masterpiece. Pauline, on the other hand, is known to have been shocked that her husband took such evident pleasure in showing off the work to guests. This coyness seems all the more curious given the reply Pauline is supposed to have made to a lady who asked her how she could have posed for the sculpture: "Oh, but the studio was heated." Much to the dismay of Canova, after Camillo and Pauline's divorce, the statue was locked away for many years, though the artist was occasionally allowed to show it to a handpicked few. This he would do at night by the light of a single candle. The next two rooms hold two key early baroque sculptures: Bernini's David and Apollo and Daphne. Both illustrate Bernini's extraordinary technical facility. Both also demonstrate the baroque desire to invest sculpture with a living quality, to transform inert marble into living flesh. Whereas Renaissance sculptors wanted to capture the idealized beauty of the human form that they had discovered in ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, baroque sculptors such as Bernini wanted movement and drama as well, capturing not an essence but an instant, infused with theatricality and emotion. The Apollo and Daphne shows the moment when, to escape the pursuing Apollo, Daphne is turned into a laurel tree. Leaves and twigs sprout from her fingertips as she stretches agonizingly away from Apollo, who instinctively recoils in terror and amazement. This is the stuff that makes the baroque exciting. There are more Berninis to see in the collection, notably a very uncharacteristic work, a large unfinished figure called Verità, or Truth. Bernini had started work on this brooding figure after the death of his principal patron, Pope Urban VIII. It was meant to form part of a work titled Truth Revealed by Time. His successor as pope, Innocent X, had little love for the ebullient Urban, and, as was the way in Rome , this meant that Bernini, too, was excluded from the new pope's favors. However, Bernini's towering genius was such that it gained him the patronage of the new pope with almost indecent haste. The Verità was accordingly left incomplete, but remained in possession of the Bernini family until the 1920s, when they donated it to the Italian state. The Caravaggio Room holds works by this hotheaded genius who died of malaria at age 37. The disquieting Sick Bacchus and charming Boy with a Basket of Fruit are naturalistic early works, bright and fresh compared with a dark Madonna and the David and Goliath, in which Goliath is believed to be a self-portrait of the artist. In the Pinacoteca (Picture Gallery) on the first floor of the casino, three Raphaels, a Botticelli, and a Pinturicchio are only a few of the paintings that the cardinal chose for his collection, which includes an incisive Cranach Venus and a shadowy Del Sarto Madonna. Probably the most famous painting in the gallery is Titian's allegorical Sacred and Profane Love, with a nude figure representing sacred love. Piazza Scipione Borghese 5, Rome, Italy - Phone 06/8548577 information; 06/328102 reservations Internet: www.galleriaborghese.it . Hours: Tues.-Sun. 9-7; reservations required, entrance every 2 hrs. Admission: EUR8.50, plus EUR2 reservation fee; audio guide EUR5. |
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