National Roman Museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome

The majestic Renaissance palace – the Palazzo Massimo in Rome (Massimo alle Terme) – hides valuable historical treasures inside its walls. It houses collections of antiquities that belong to the National Roman Museum. The palace itself was built in the 19th century by the project of Camillo Pistrucci. The branch of the National Roman Museum was opened in the family nest of Massimo in 1998. This is the largest of the four parts of the museum:

• Massimo alle Terme.
• Palazzo Altemps.
• Baths of Diocletian.
• Crypta Balbi.

Exhibits of the Roman Museum in Palazzo Massimo

All the palace rooms of Massimo are filled with the most valuable artifacts:

• Ground floor. In the basement of the museum Massimo there is a huge collection of jewelry – necklaces, rings, gold hair nets, bracelets and so on. Here you can see the mummy of an 8 year old girl, whose doll is decorated with precious stones. Very rich numismatic collection. A unique exhibit is the mechanism by the help of which ancient scammers forged coins.
• 1st floor. The ancient statues found in Rome in different periods are exhibited in the halls on the first floor of the museum. Among them – "Boxer", dating from 1 century BC, the ancient Greek "Wounded Niobe" (5 century BC), a statue of Augustus Pontiff and others. There are also busts of the republican and imperial nobility. On the ground floor, the altar of Mars is also kept (24-14 years BC).
• 2nd floor of Massimo is also rich in unique finds. "Sleeping Hermaphrodite", "Discobolus", "Venus", "Bronze Dionysus", Portonaccio Sarcophagus are exhibited here. Also here you can see the head of jellyfish and lions from the Caligula galleys found in Lake Nemi, and many other unique artifacts.
• 3rd floor. The walls and floors of the third floor are decorated with masterpieces of fresco and mosaics; The amazing decor of the ancient Roman rich houses amazes with its beauty and diversity. Here you can see frescoes of triclinium from the Villa of Livia, of the wife of Augustus. Triclinium was restored in its natural size. Frescoes from Villa Farnesina are no less impressive.

How to get there

Massimo alle Terme in Rome is located in a two minutes walk from the train station "Termini".

Opening hours: You can visit the museum every day except Monday, from 09:00 to 19:45. The admission ticket costs about 8 euros and includes a visit to all four branches of the National Roman Museum for three days. For people under the age of 18 the admission is free.