Rome Museums Tour

THE BORGHESE MUSEUM

The Palazzina Borghese was built at the beginning of the 17th century in an area covered by vineyards and gardens just beyond the Aurelian Walls, at the behest of Pope Paul V and his nephew, Cardinal Scipione Borghese.In the beginning the Palazzina was a museum, for it housed Scipione’s important archaeological collection.

Scipione’s favorite artist was Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who’s first works were created for this palace. Most of the painting collection was created in Scipione Borghese’s day according to his taste, which is considered to have been particularly eclectic and closely bound to that of “the most hedonistic circles of the 17th roman society” (Francis Haskell). It is thanks to him that the works of such important artist as Caravaggio, Raphael and Domenichino, became part of the collection.

THE DORIA PAMPHILI GALLERY

The Doria Pamphilj Gallery is a private collection open to the public (every day from 10.00 to 17.00, except Thursday).
The rich collection of paintings includes a great number of seventeenth-century masterpieces (Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Guercino, Velasquez, Claude Lorrain, Gaspard Dughet) and important Renaissance works (Tiziano, Raffaello, Garofalo, Lorenzo Lotto).

The collection includes also important bust portraits carried out by Algardi and Bernini and some ancient sculptures, dating from the archaic and the Hellenistic periods.

Coming mostly from the Villa Pamphilj gardens.

THE CAPITOLINE MUSEUM

The Capitoline Museum is the home of one of the world’s oldest collections of art and antiquities.
Initiated in 1471 by Pope Sixtus IV, when he donated some ancient sculptures discovered during the transformation of Rome as the center of the Catholic world. I This first collection was further enrich with donations of other popes: Pius V ( 16th century) Clemente XIII Benedict XIV and Pius VII (18th century).The collection occupies the palaces designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century on the Capitoline Hill, called Capitolium fulgens by the Romans during the ancient period.

Among the most remarkable sculptures (Dying gaul, Capitoline Venus) can be mentioned the Hall of Emperors with the portraits of all the Roman Emperors, and Emperor Marcus Aurelius original equestrian statue.

ROMAN NATIONAL MUSEUM

The Roman National Museum (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme), was created in 1981 inside the XIX century Massimo’s family palace, to extend the Ancient art exposition located in the contiguous Roman National Museum of Diocletian Baths.

It was open to the public in 1995, and it is the best didactic museum of Ancient Art of Rome. Its four floors offer artistic works from the Republican period (II-I century B.C) up to late Empire (IV century A.D). Is one of the only roman museums to host Greek original sculptures of the V century B.C and II century B.C. as well as original frescoes of ancient Rome, found in Augustus’s daughter house and Livia’s Villa.