The Capitoline Museums in Rome

Perched on the Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, the Capitoline Museums – or Musei Capitolini in Italian – are the oldest public museums in the world.

With their incredible collections of art and archaeology housed in stunning historical palaces, the Capitoline Museums are a must-visit for anyone exploring the Eternal City. All aboard! Follow the guide!

⚠️ To avoid wasting time in long lines, be sure to book your tickets in advance, especially during peak season: Skip-the-line tickets for the Capitoline Museums

A Brief History of the Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline Hill is one of Rome’s seven hills. With its temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva (the Roman equivalents of the Greek gods Zeus, Hera, and Athena), the Capitoline Hill was the religious center of ancient Rome.

In antiquity, every Roman city had its own capitol – its religious center – modeled after the one in Rome.

The Origins of the Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums were established in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated four ancient bronze statues to the city: the Capitoline Wolf, the Spinario, the Camillus, and fragments of a statue of Domitian.

Over the following centuries, the successors of Pope Sixtus IV continued this tradition by donating additional ancient works to the Capitoline Museums.

Between the 16^th and 17^th centuries, Michelangelo redesigned the Piazza del Campidoglio, including:

• Renovating the Palazzo Senatorio, which now houses the Rome City Council
  
  
• Renovating the Palazzo dei Conservatori and constructing the Palazzo Nuovo to house the museum collections
  
  

In 1734, under the pontificate of Pope Clement XII, the Capitoline Museums opened to the public.

A few years later, Pope Benedict XIV acquired the collections of the Pio and Sacchetti families to establish the Capitoline Picture Gallery.

In 1997, the Capitoline Museums opened the Montemartini annex in a former power plant on the outskirts of Rome.

Today, the Capitoline Museums are among the most iconic museums in the Italian capital. To avoid wasting time in line (especially during peak season), make sure to book your tickets in advance.

Visiting the Capitoline Museums

The Palazzo dei Conservatori

The Palazzo dei Conservatori is the oldest of the two main buildings housing the Capitoline Museums’ collections.

Beautifully preserved, this palace is worth a visit not only for its stunning decoration – ancient frescoes, some dating back to the 16^th century, stuccoes, decorated ceilings, etc. – but also for its magnificent collections.

The Palazzo dei Conservatori houses some of the most iconic sculptures of the Capitoline Museums, including the Capitoline Wolf and the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, as well as the Capitoline Picture Gallery. Art enthusiasts can admire works by great masters of the 16^th and 17^th centuries: Caravaggio, Bellini, Guercino, Cortona, Rubens, Tintoretto, Titian, Van Dyck, Velázquez, and Veronese.

Adjacent to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Palazzo Clementino-Caffarelli displays collections of medals, coins, and precious objects.

Highlights of the Palazzo dei Conservatori:

• The Capitoline Wolf
• The Spinario
• The Camillus (or the Gypsy Girl)
• The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
• Fragments of the colossal statue of Constantine
• The head of Medusa and the statue of Pope Urban VII by Bernini
• The Fortune Teller and St John the Baptist by Caravaggio
• Romulus and Remus by Rubens
• The Flagellation by Tintoretto
• The Baptism of Christ by Titian
• Self-portrait by Velásquez
• …

The Palazzo Nuovo

Built in the first half of the 17^th century based on Michelangelo’s designs, the Palazzo Nuovo today hosts a beautiful collection of ancient sculptures.

Don’t miss the Hall of the Philosophers, where you can see busts of many of the greatest thinkers of ancient Greece (Plato, Pythagoras, Sophocles…).

The Palazzo Nuovo also features some very beautiful ancient mosaics.

Highlights of the Palazzo Nuovo:

• The Dying Gaul
• The Capitoline Venus
• The Capitoline Antinous
• The Red Faun
• The Doves Mosaic
• The Mosaic of the Theatrical Masks
• The Hall of the Philosophers
• ….

The Lapidary Gallery and the Tabularium

Dug out in the 1930s, the lapidary gallery is an underground passage connecting the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo.

The gallery also provides access to the Tabularium, the ancient Roman archive hall.

The Centrale Montemartini

Located in the Ostiense district (south of Rome), the Centrale Montemartini is an annex of the Capitoline Museums inaugurated in 1997.

In a decidedly industrial setting – the main equipment of the power plant, such as turbines and generators, has been preserved – visitors can discover collections mainly featuring Greek and Roman sculptures.

It’s an unusual visit that is well worth it if you have enough time in Rome. If you only have a few days in the capital, however, it is better to focus on the collections housed in the two palaces in Piazza del Campidoglio.

Practical Information

Getting to the Capitoline Museums

Most of the Capitoline Museums’ collections are located in the two palaces in Piazza del Campidoglio, in the center of Rome, just a stone’s throw from the Victor Emmanuel II Monument.

To get there, the easiest way is to take one of the many bus lines that stop at Piazza Venezia. From there, the Capitoline Museums are just a few minutes’ walk away.

Address: Piazza del Campidoglio 1 – 00186 Roma

Opening Hours of the Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums are open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM (last entry at 6:30 PM).

Ticket Prices for the Capitoline Museums

• Combined ticket (permanent collections + temporary exhibition): €18.50 full price, €15 reduced price
• Single ticket (permanent collections): €13 full price, €9.50 reduced price

Admission is free on the first Sunday of every month.

If you are visiting Rome during peak season or school holidays, Captain Ulysses recommends buying a skip-the-line ticket in advance online.

If you don’t want to miss any of the museum’s treasures, a video guide is available for €7. An audio guide specifically designed for children is available for €5. You can also opt for a guided tour of the Capitoline Museums.

Credits
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