National Roman Museum
National Roman Museum is located near the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Baths of Diocletian. The Italian Government transformed the palace into a museum in 1981.
National Roman Museumis has four floors of beautiful artwork. There is some impressive sarcophagus. I couldn’t keep my eyes of the unbelievable Portonaccio sarcophagus, it left me awe struck. It might be the only exhibit in National Roman Museum to have its own space. There is special lighting and they have an exclusive seating area to appreciate this work.
The Bronze ornaments of the ancient Nemi Ships during Caligula’s reigns are spectacular. The wolves, lions and panthers look so alive and real. It is so impressive there is no damage after centuries of being underwater.
The entire floor on Mosaics will make you marvel how people had the patience to put together such intricate, varicolored and mind-blowing art.
Wait until you visit the room that holds the frescoes from the Villa of Livia (wife of Augustus). It is an absolutely must see! I also thought the frescos from the Villa of Farnesina were amzing. It had many rooms in different color schemes. The yellow bedroom, the green room, and others were displayed magnificently. It will give you a feeling of what it must have looked like when it was in the villa. Remember to read the signage outside of the room for the history behind the wonderful garden themed frescoes.
National Roman Museum collection of Roman sculpture is second to none. Two floors of breathtakingly beautiful classical marbles and bronzes. The Terme Ruler, the Boxer of Quirinal, and the bronzes from Nemi, the Anzio Girl. The Discus thrower is spectacular as well as the sleeping Hermaphrodite. The marble sculptor of the Crouching Aphrodite with an array of other stunning marble portraits of emperors, philosophers and important women will bring you face to face with history.
Don’t forget to see the history of coinage in the basement. You will enter through bank vault doors and view a fantastic coin collection charting the development of the Roman Empire. It is a treat for anybody interested in the history of currency. There is also a small but very nice assortment of jewelry in the basement.
National Roman Museum is fabulous. There is so much to see, you could spend all day walking around. The artwork is well displayed. It doesn’t get crowded like elsewhere, so you can enjoy it all in peace.
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Phone number: +39 06 3996 7700
Address: Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome, 00185 Italy
Hours: Monday Closed
Tuesday through Sunday 9:00 am – 7:45 pm
The location is also extremely easy to reach being right across from Termini Station.
The best thing is that if you buy a ticket for one branch, your ticket is good for the other three for a three day period (4 if one of those days is a Monday). National Museum of Rome, Palazzo Altemps, Crypta Balbi, and Baths of Diocletian.
Piazza della Repubblica, Termini train station, Via Nazionale, Church of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs is very close to the National Roman Museum. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is also in that area, even though it’s a little further away than the other mentioned attractions.
