Visit the Capitoline Museums in Rome (Musei Capitolini)

Visit the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) in Rome to see ancient bronze sculptures, marble statues from antiquity, paintings, and fine views of the Forum.

The Capitoline Museums complex (Musei Capitolini) has one of the finest collections of sculptures, statues, and archaeological finds from antiquity in the world, as well as paintings and art from the Middle Ages to the Baroque. Top highlights are very rare large Roman bronze sculptures such as the original equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, Boy with a Thorn, and the Capitoline She-Wolf (and the much more recent Romulus and Remus). The small paintings collection includes works by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, and many other European masters. Although the museum is rarely overcrowded, buying tickets online saves time.

Capitoline Museums Complex (Musei Capitolini) in Rome

The Capitoline Museums complex (Musei Capitolini) in Rome claims to be the oldest museum in the world. It was formally established in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated several bronze statues to the city and people of Rome. These included the famous She-Wolf, the Spinarius (Boy with a Thorn), and the colossal head of Constantine. Other popes donated more works — sometimes to get the nudes out of the church collection.

The Capitoline Museums expanded in size and scope through the centuries, with the main collections now including large bronze sculptures from antiquity, marble statues and busts from antiquity, other artifacts and archeological finds from the Roman Empire, paintings, Baroque art, coins, and many decorative elements, especially from the Baroque era.

The Capitoline Museum is sometimes advertised as the “Roman Empire Museum,” but that name is not only incorrect but also misleading. The focus of this museum is art, not cultural history or an explanation of life in the Roman Empire.

Top Highlights to See in the Capitoline Museums in Rome

The top highlights to see in the Capitoline Museums in Rome include:

Large Bronze Sculptures from Antiquity in the Capitoline Museums

Large bronze sculptures from antiquity are exceptionally rare, but the Capitoline Museums have some of the finest on display in Rome.

The Palazzo Massimo near Rome’s Termini station also has significant bronzes from antiquity, including the Boxer at Rest (Pugilatore in riposo) and the Hellenistic Prince (Statua ritratto, cd. Principe ellenistico).

Best Marble Sculptures from Antiquity

Some of the highlights of the vast collection of marble statues from antiquity, often Roman copies of Greek originals, include:

• Capitoline Venus
• Dying Gaul
• Amore and Psyche
• Lion Attacking a Horse
• Discobolus (restored as a Wounded Warrior)
• Oceano (Marforio)
• Head of the Colossal Marble Statue of Constantine
• Marsyas
• Faun in red marble
• Wounded Amazon
• Apollo (several versions)
• Hercules (restored as Killing the Hydra of Lerna)
• Eros Stringing his Bow
• Leda with the Swan
• Colossal Statue of Mars Ultor (The Avenger)
• Young Centaur and Old Centaur

The best marble sculptures are in the Palazzo Nuovo, where many have been displayed in the same position for centuries.

→ Many more photos from the Capitoline Museums on Flickr.

Other Top Works from Antiquity

Further highly praised works from antiquity displayed in the Capitoline Museums include:

• Mosaics — especially “Doves”
• Multicolored marbles — Tigress Attacking a Calf
• Relief panels of the achievements of Marcus Aurelius
• Mask of a Satyr
• A big collection of busts including some of the finest imperial and philosopher portraits in existence.
• Several sarcophagi

Remarkable sculptures from antiquity are on display in Rome’s city museums, including the Palazzo Massimo and the Palazzo Altemps near Piazza Navona — a lovely museum often missed by travelers in Rome.

Baroque Art and Pinacoteca

Although the highlights of the Capitoline Museums are undoubtedly the art from antiquity, it also has a significant collection of art from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and especially the Baroque period.

Notable works include a marble bust of Medusa (1644-48) by Bernini, frescoes, ceilings, tapestries, and other decorations — many originals from the palaces that now house the museums.

The paintings in the picture gallery (Pinacoteca) are spread over only around a dozen relatively small halls. Although not the best art in Rome, the collection is worth at least a quick walkthrough.

Paintings on display include works from many famous artists including Caravaggio (The Fortune Teller, Young St John the Baptist), Peter Paul Rubens (Romulus and Remus), Guido Reni, Guercino, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Pietro da Cortona, Titian, Anthony van Dyck, and Velázquez.

The Vatican Museums, of course, have the largest art collections, but crowds and the sheer size make visiting an ordeal. It is often easier to enjoy top art in smaller venues such as the Capitoline Museums, the Borghese Gallery (six Caravaggios and several Bernini sculptures), Palazzo Barberini, and Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.

Musei Capitolini Opening Hours

The Capitoline Museum (Musei Capitolini) is open daily from 9:30 to 19:30 (last admissions at 18:30). The museum is open on Mondays and most public holidays. The only definite completely closed days are May 1 and December 25, but some holidays have shorter hours.

Buying Tickets for the Capitoline Museums

Basic admission tickets for the Capitoline Museums are €15.50 (€10 for most visitors under 16 and free for under six years old). Add a euro or two for online presale tickets.

Tickets are usually not for a specific time slot. Unless otherwise stated, you may enter anytime on the stated day.

The Capitoline Museums’ current booking service is provided by Vivaticket — only tickets bought at the museum in person will be cheaper. (Opening an account at Vivaticket is a bit of a faff but worth it, as many top Italian sights use it, including The Last Supper in Milan and the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.)

Special exhibitions inside the main museum may add an obligatory surcharge, usually around €5. Major special exhibitions in the Villa Caffarelli use a separate ticket system. This is fortunate, as these exhibitions are often pricey and completely off-theme from the permanent collection.

In contrast to the nearby Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museums are usually not overcrowded. It is never the scrum of visiting the Vatican Museums either. However, it is worth buying tickets in advance, as the ticket queues sometimes move surprisingly slowly even on a quiet day.

Combination tickets with other sites are often available but do note that some, such as the Centrale Montemartini, may be a considerable distance from the Capitoline Hill.

Most works in the museum are described, or at least labeled, in English. However, a video or audioguide may be rented in various languages. Guided tours are mostly for very small groups or private tours only.

The museum website currently functions better than the free app.

Basic Layout and Map of the Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Museums collection is currently housed in several palazzos on the Michelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio, but a visit requires just one ticket and uses only a single entrance.

It is worth studying the map of the Capitoline Museums before visiting — find “download the PDF brochure“. Note that in the main building — Palazzo dei Conservatori — it is sometimes necessary to use different staircases to reach all parts of the museum, even for galleries on the same level.

The entrance to the Capitoline Museums is from the Piazza del Campidoglio into the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Go up the Grand Staircase to the highlights of the museum, including Marcus Aurelius. One floor higher is the small picture gallery and the cafe with a fantastic panoramic terrace.

An underground tunnel leads from the basement of the main museum building to the Palazzo Nuovo. En route, turn off to the Tabularium — not the most exciting part of the museum, but the view of the Forum from the gallery is one of the best in Rome.

Don’t miss the Palazzo Nuovo. It has only about a dozen rooms but holds some of the finest sculptures from antiquity in Rome, including The Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus. Many of the sculptures here have been displayed in the same position for centuries.

The coffee shop is on the second level of the main building. Keep tickets to re-enter the museum, as it is possible to visit the panoramic terrace from outside the museum too. The wonderful views of Rome from here do not include the Forum — see that from the Tabularium.

The museum has several suggested itineraries. The “Arms and Power” route includes only 30 works and could be done in just less than an hour. Most visitors are likely to spend 90 minutes to two hours in the museum, but it is also easy to spend far more than the three hours required for the 99-artworks “The Collections” route.

Transportation to the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini)

The Capitoline Museums complex (Musei Capitolini) is on the Michelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio. The entrance (and ticket office) is at the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which houses the largest part of the collection, to the left of Marcus Aurelius. (The original bronze equestrian sculpture is one of the top sights inside the museum). Most visitors arrive by walking from the Forum and Colosseum or up the Michelangelo stairs from the traffic nightmare of Piazza Venezia. It is possible to exit the museum from either the main building or from the Palazzo Nuovo.

The entrance to the coffee shop and panoramic terrace for visitors without a ticket is on the wing to the right of the main building, away from the main piazza.