Practical information
The official address is Piazza del Campidoglio, 1. Phone: 06 82059127.
The opening hours are Tue-Sun 9am-8pm. Closed on Mondays, Dec 25, Jan 1 and May 1.
The admission cost is €6,50 (reduced €4,50).
Description
The Capitoline Museums in Rome date back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of bronze statues, that until then had been kept at the Lateran, to the people of Rome. These statues form the original core collection of the museums. Various popes subsequently expanded the collection with works taken from excavations around Rome; some were moved from the Vatican and some, such as the Albani collection, were bought specifically for the museum.
Around the middle of the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV created the Capitoline Picture Gallery and at the end of the 19th century a considerable quantity of archeological material was added when Rome became Italy’s capital and new excavations were carried out during the creation of new districts for the expanding city.
The Capitoline Museums’ collections are displayed in two of the three buildings that together enclose the Piazza del Campidoglio: Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo. The two buildings are linked by an underground tunnel containing the Epigraphic Gallery and leading to the ancient Tabularium, whose monumental arche ovelook the Forum Romanum.
The Palazzo Nuovo houses the collections of ancient sculpture brought together by the great noble families of the past. Their arrangement has remained substantially unchanged since the 18th century. They include the famous collections of busts of Romanphilosophers and emperors, the statue of Capitoline Gaul, the Capitoline Venus, and the imposing statue of Marforio that dominates the courtyard.
The Conservators’ Apartment contains the original architectural nucleus of the building, decorated with frescoes portraying the history of Rome. The Capitoline bronzes on display here are the Capitoline She-Wolf, Spinario and the Capitoline Brutus.
On the first floor a (recently built) huge glass room contains the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, which used to stand in the Piazza del Campidoglio, and the remains of the Temple of Jupiter.
Another section is dedicated to the Campidoglio’s history, from its first inhabitation until the construction of the sacred building, with the results of recent excavations.
The halls overlooking the room contain works from the gardens (horti) on the Esquiline, while the hall connecting the room to the Palazzo dei Conservatori contains the 19th century Castellani collection.
On the second floor, the Capitoline picture gallery contains works, arranged in chronological order from late mediaevil times to the 18th century, including paintings by Caravaggio (Good luck and St. John the Baptist), a massive canvas by Guercino (Burial of Saint Petronilla) and varioius paintings by Guido Reni and Pietro da Cortona.
The Palazzo Clementino-Caffarelli holds the Capitoline Numismatic Collection with many rare coins, medals, gems and jewels. There is also an area dedicated to temporary exhibitions.
Directions from the Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast Rome to the Capitoline Museums
The quickest way from the Chaplin B&B in Rome is to go to Rome Termini, take metro line B to the Colosseo stop, turn right when you exit, walk around the Monument for Vittorio Emanuele till you come to the steps on your left. Climb the steps and the two buildings on your left and your right are the Capitoline Museums. A walk, as always, is more beautiful: from the Chaplin Hostel, cross Rome Termini, walk to the end of Via Cavour (maybe stopping at the Basilicas of Saint Mary Major and Saint Peter In Chains) and turn right. Then follow the previous directions.