Rome Museums
 

Vatican Museums

A fifteen-minute walk from St Peter's (follow the signs out from the north side of the piazza), the only part of the Vatican Palace you can visit independently is the Vatican Museums at Viale Vaticano 13 (April–Nov Mon–Sat 8.45am–2.20pm, last exit 3.45pm; rest of year Mon–Sat 8.45am–12.20pm, last exit 1.45pm; €10; closed Sun, holidays and religious holidays, except the last Sunday of each month when admission is free) – quite simply, the largest, richest, most compelling and perhaps most exhausting museum complex in the world. If you have found any of Rome's other museums disappointing, the Vatican is probably the reason why: so much booty from the city's history has ended up here, from both classical and later times, and so many of the Renaissance's finest artists were in the employ of the pope, that not surprisingly the result is a set of museums so stuffed with antiquities as to put most other European collections to shame.

As its name suggests, the Vatican Palace actually holds a collection of museums on very diverse subjects – displays of classical statuary, Renaissance painting, Etruscan relics, Egyptian artefacts, not to mention the furnishings and decoration of the palace itself. There's no point in trying to see everything, at least not on one visit. Once inside, you have a choice of routes, but the only features you really shouldn't miss are the Raphael Stanze and the Sistine Chapel. Above all, decide how long you want to spend here, and what you want to see before you start; you could spend anything from 45 minutes to the better part of a day here, and it's easy to collapse from museum fatigue before you've even got to your most important target of interest. Be conservative – the distances between different sections alone can be vast and very tiring.

 

• Thais - Index of Museums - a list of museums with brief descriptions and opening hours.
• Thais - Scupltures by Museums - a list of museums with pictures and descriptions of the most important sculptures in it.
• Galleria Borghese - the original sculptures and paintings in the Borghese Gallery date back to Cardinal Scipione's collection, the son of Ortensia Borghese - Paolo V's sister - and of Francesco Caffarelli, though subsequent events over the next three centuries entailing both losses and acquisition have left their mark...
• Rome Guide - Galleria Borghese - RomeGuide offers a virtual tour of this Baroque show of force: the Villa Borghese. Note that tickets to the gallery must be booked in advance.
• Galleria Colonna - the construction of the Galleria Colonna was begun by its founder Cardinal Girolamo Colonna I, in 1650, and continued by his nephew High Constable Lorenzo Onofrio, from 1666 on, to house the family's celebrated art collection...
• Galleria Spada - one of Rome's prettiest palaces, it was acquired by Cardinal Spada in 1632. It's most famous feature is Borromini's ingenious trompe l'oeil colonnade in the garden, which is 9m long, but appears much longer...
• Galleria Corsini - the collection, formed in the XVIII century, although composed from various sources mostly originating from the Corsini family...
• Palazzo Barberini (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica) - Maderno, Bernini and Borromini all contributed to the design of this palace, built for one of the Barberini popes between 1627 and 1633...
• Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (italian) - an example of industrial archeology, this ex-brewery is a sign of the council's interest in new art.
• EUR - atonomous board for the universal exhibition of Rome : events, exhibitions...
• Keats-Shelley Memorial House - situated on the Spanish steps, the house is part of Roman Folklore. For generations the Piazza di Spagna has been visited by architects, painters, musicians and poets who all lodged here. Tobias Smollet, George Eliot, Goethe, Coleridge, Shelley, Byron, the Brownings, Henry James, Edith Wharton, Oscar Wilde and Joyce were just a few of the many who were attracted and inspired by the celebrated 'centro storico'.
• Chiostro del Bramante - situated in one of Rome's most suggestive corners, it hosts high quality exhibitions. Often open at night.
• Palazzo delle Esposizioni - Rome's most important cultural center: it hosts exhibitions, film festivals and conferences.
• Palazzo Ruspoli - the palace of the Ruspoli family is now used for world touring exhibitions.
• Museo del Corso - located in 320,Via del Corso. (Italian)
   

Rome Picture gallery


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