Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome
Going to the Capitol means being on top of the hill where so much history has happened, with a capital H. Here, in the Piazza del Campidoglio (Capitol Square), are the Capitoline Museums, being here is like taking a trip to the past, like feeling all the stories that were told here. Would you like to see this incredible place? So, let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome? Here at Your Travel to Italy with Ana Patricia you make the trip of your dreams!!! ALSO: see our “Accommodation in Italy – Tips for your holidays!”
Our introduction
Capitoline Museums are part of the history of Rome. Located in the heart of the city, they represent an extremely important heritage. It is the first public museum in the world, existing since 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated some bronze sculptures to the Roman people, and the statues were placed in front of the Palazzo dei Conservatori (Conservators’ Palace), in the courtyard (so that art was accessible to all the citizens). The statues of the Lateran Palace were: the Capitoline Wolf, the Boy with Thorn, Camillus, and the Colosssal Statue of Constantine: head, hand and the globe. Read also What are the main tourist monuments in Rome?
1) Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome – ACCESS TO MUSEUMS
Capitoline Museums form the main public museum complex in Rome and are part of the “Municipal Museum System”. The entrance to the Capitoline Museums is through the Palazzo dei Conservatori, in the Piazza del Campidoglio (by Michelangelo, seat of the City Hall since the medieval period).
Localization
The Capitoline Museum is located in the Piazza dei Conservatori (Conservator’s Square) and in the Palazzo Nuovo (“New Palace”), it is the oldest public museum in the world, thanks to the contributions of Pope Sixtus IV in 1471, Pope Leo X and Pope Pius V, who implemented the collection in the 16th century. However, it was mainly in the year 1734, with the acquisition of the Albani collection of ancient marble sculptures that the museum expanded considerably. With capital Rome, it also occupied the Palazzo dei Conservatori and created the Museo Nuovo (“New Museum”), in 1925, and the Braccio Nuovo (“New Arm”), in 1952. The museums are a collection of classic marble and bronze sculptures, apart from the art gallery and the collection of coins and medals. Also read What to visit near Rome? The best round trips from Rome.
Metro Colosseo to Capitoline Museum
Source: Google Maps
2) Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome – ABOUT THE MUSEUMS
Capitoline Museums were effectively opened to the public in 1734, after having enriched their collection. A few years later, the Pinacoteca was created, with the great works of Pio and Sacchetti. Over the centuries, they added several rooms in addition to those that already existed, the number of items purchased for the Museums grew more and more.
The Sala Ottagonale (Octogonal Room), for example, was built on the first floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. There, sculptures, statues, old vases and crockery adorn the dome of museums. Another pride of the Capitoline Museums is the collection of coins and medals, an important collection of relics that belonged to Roman slaves. In 1925, the Mussolini Museum was established in the Caffarelli Palace and, in 1952, the Braccio Nuovo. Later, they added Galleria Lapidaria (“Lapidary Gallery”), with more than 1,500 epigraphs in Latin and Greek.
Tabularium Wing
Recently, the route was extended to the public, with the opening of the Tabularium wing (where the deposit used to work, now it is a beautiful panoramic terrace). In addition, the Clementino Palace was acquired, which today is reserved for the temporary exhibitions of the Museum.
In 1997, a separate headquarters was opened at the former Giovanni Montemartini Thermoelectric Plant, in the Ostiense neighborhood, thus creating an original fusion solution between industrial and classical archeology. In 2005, a new wing was added to the museum, called Marcus Aurelius Exedra.
3) Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome? – DISTRIBUTION OF MUSEUMS
How are the Capitol museums distributed? Capitoline Museums are considered the first museum complex in the world and are the main public collection in Rome, with 12,977 m2 of exhibition area. The delicate restructuring plan required that a well-articulated path be created, with new exhibition spaces and the reorganization of some sectors of the museum. The route was significantly expanded with the opening of the Tabularium to the public, whose arches provide a view of the Roman Forum and gives access to other buildings through the Galleria di Congiunzione (“Conjuncion Gallery”). In addition, a new layout of the Caffarelli Palace was made and the acquisition of the Clementino Palace, until then Headquarters of the City Hall.
4) Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome- COLLECTION DISTRIBUTION
How are the collections distributed in museums? At the New Palace, the collection of ancient sculptures, a collection of noble families, is preserved. Highlights include the busts of Roman emperors and philosophers and the statues of the Dying Gaul, Capitoline Venus and Marforio (which dominates the courtyard).
Palazzo dei Conservatori
In the Palazzo dei Conservatori, decorated with frescoes on the history of Rome, the museum’s famous bronze statues, such as the She-wolf, the Boy with Thorn and the Brutus, are preserved. The large glass room on the first floor of the palace houses the esquestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, placed in the very center, and the ruins of the Temple of Jupiter. On the second floor is the Capitolone Pinacotheca, with works of great relevance, exposed in a chronological route that goes from the end of the Middle Ages to the 18th century.
The Palazzo dei Conservatori was ordered by Pope Nicholas V, by Rossellino, in the middle of the 15th century, where the Headquarters of Justice used to be. In the middle of the 16th century, Michelangelo Buonarroti was in charge of the project to restructure the square and the facade of the palace.
Caffarelli-Clementino Palace
At the Caffarelli-Clementino Palace there is also the medal table, with a collection of coins, medals and jewels. In addition, there is also a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions. Also of great importance is the Capitol Square, by Michelangelo, seat of the City Hall since the medieval period, it is also the entrance entrance to the Capitoline Museums.
The Square and the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius
In the center of the square, which also has the floor designed by the great master, the equestrian statue of Marco Aurélio was placed. Until then, it occupied the place of the current Lateran obelisk, now there is a replica in the square (the original is in the large glass room on the first floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori).
Michelangelo was unable to complete his work, with his death the project was passed on to Giacomo della Porta. Inside these palaces, there are rooms with breathtaking statues and works. It is impossible to list all of them, it would take a lot of pages, I will just select a few to give you an idea of the greatness of this complex, as it is necessary to visit it to be enchanted by so much art and history. As an example, we can see the Hall of Hannibal, with decorations from the first decades of the 16th century made by Jacopo Ripanda.
Hall of the Tapestries
The Hall of the Tapestries bears this name because it houses the carpets from the Roman factory of Saint Michael, with some masterpieces by Rubens, Poussin, among other famous artists. The carpets represent legendary episodes from ancient Rome.
Hall of the Triumphs
Then we give way to the Hall of the Triumphs with the great work Boy with Torn, bronze statue of a boy trying to remove a thorn from his foot (from the 1st century BC).
Useful Information
Here is some useful information for you to put on your Italy Travel Guide.
Inside museums it is not allowed
- Take photos with flash or tripod;
- In case of exhibitions, it is not possible to photograph or use a video camera;
- Entering with large bags and backpacks, and umbrellas;
- To take pets;
- Eating, drinking or smoking.
Schedules
- Open: Every day from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm (except December 24th and 31st, which runs from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm).
- Closed: On holidays: January 1st, May 1st and December 25th (museums remain closed).
Ticket office
- The ticket office is located at the Capitol Square, on the ground floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori. In temporary exhibitions and cultural events, the ticket price may vary.
- The ticket office closes an hour before.
- The price is 12.50 Euros.
Important to Know
- For any details on opening and closing times, visit the page dedicated to notices by clicking here!
How to get to the Museums Capitoline?
Where is it? Capitoline Museums are located on Capitol Square.
- Taxi: The quickest way to get there is by taxi; Just call direct number 060609 and that’s it – the only problem is that the taxi is not very cheap, you need to keep that in mind.
- Bus: A good alternative is the bus. There are several lines that give access to the Capitoline Museums or stop nearby, everything depends on the place of departure. Therefore, the best thing is to know where there is a stop near the museums (to then assess which is the most practical bus, depending on where you are). They are: Teatro Marcello-Ara Coeli, Teatro Marcello, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Venezia-Ara Coeli, Fori Imperiali and Plebiscito (which are about five minutes walking distance from the Capitol).
- Subway: And lastly, if you prefer to take the subway, you need to know the nearest station: it is the Colosseo, which takes about fifteen minutes walking. Also read How to use the subway in Rome? and How to buy the Roma Pass?
MAPS FROM THE COLOSSSEUM METRO TO MUSEUMS CAPITOLINE
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Conclusion
Let’s visit the Capitoline Museum in Rome. To conclude, the position of this large museum complex in the Capitol region can be anything but random. The soul and history of Rome found a seat in the heart of Urbe, between the roots of a civilization and the foundations of a city that is eternal.
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