Rome’s abundant museums, monuments, churches, and important sites number in the hundreds, if not thousands. In a year of visits, you might only make a significant dent (at best) in everything there is to see here. However, it’s possible to get a real feel for the culture of the Eternal City and the world through a cross-section of the best ones, with a museum for every age and mood. From walks among ruins in the Roman sunshine to explorations in opulent, art-filled villas, here is our guide to the city’s most vaunted and underrated treasures.
1. Vatican Museums
Rome’s most unmissable museums
Visiting the Vatican Museums is thrilling, unforgettable, and a true must for any traveler to Rome. Highlights include the spectacular collection of classical statuary, a suite of rooms frescoed by Raphael, and the Michelangelo-decorated Sistine Chapel – which certainly lives up to the hype. Additionally, you can tour the opulent gardens.
The Vatican’s museum complex is not for the faint of heart. Corridors lined with exhibits and treasures stretch for over 7km (4mi), and you’ll discover more masterpieces in a single gallery than in many small countries. Therefore, before you visit, consider researching where to focus your time and choose a strategic hour. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually quieter, as are Wednesday mornings; afternoons are generally better than mornings on most days, while Mondays, when other museums close, and rainy days should be avoided altogether. Moreover, it’s wise to purchase your ticket online to bypass the long ticket queues and head straight for the art.
2. Pantheon
Best for history
Rome’s history is so monumental – literally – that no single museum captures it all. The one that might come closest to this feat, however, is a 2000-year-old structure where Rome’s glorious past is so palpable that you might feel inspired to change into a toga.
The Pantheon is perhaps the best-preserved ancient building in the Western world and, consequently, one of the most influential. While its graying, pockmarked exterior shows its age, the exhilarating experience of passing through the vast bronze doors, as countless others have done over millennia, remains timeless. Once inside, gaze up at the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built, with its magnificent oculus, before directing your gaze toward the artwork and artifacts scattered throughout the interior. Afterward, consider enjoying a cappuccino at one of the surrounding cafes and soaking up the atmosphere on the buzzing Piazza della Rotonda out front.
3. Museo e Galleria Borghese
Best for art
If you have time for only one art gallery in Rome, make it this one. Housing what’s often referred to as the “queen of all private art collections,” the Museo e Galleria Borghese boasts some of the city’s finest art treasures, including spectacular sculptures by Bernini and important paintings by such Italian masters as Caravaggio, Titian, Raphael, and Rubens.
The collection dates back to the 16th century when its namesake, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, was the most knowledgeable and ruthless art collector of his time. Today, the collection is housed in a beautiful villa set on lovely grounds, providing a welcome bit of fresh air amidst Rome’s cacophony. Thankfully, admission is limited (booking in advance is recommended), ensuring that the two floors of intimate galleries never feel overwhelming.
4. Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli
Best free “museum”
While you can explore Rome’s streets, piazzas, and parks for free, most cultural attractions charge admission to enter – with the notable exception of the city’s more than 900 churches. Some, like St Peter’s Basilica – also essential! – require significant time investment to explore. Others, like the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli, offer a far more intimate experience. This 5th-century church is a repository of two museum-worthy sights.
Under the altar, you’ll find the shackles used by the Romans to hold the actual St Peter (hence the church’s name: “in vincoli” means “in chains”). To the right of the altar is another world-class treasure, Michelangelo’s Moses, which serves as the centerpiece of his unfinished tomb for Pope Julius II. The prophet strikes a muscular pose with well-defined biceps, a magnificent waist-length beard, and two small horns – ancient symbols of wisdom – protruding from his head.
5. Villa dei Quintili
Best for walkers
Running southwest of Rome’s center, the fabled Appian Way offers a fantastic opportunity to walk back into Roman times. Approximately 5km (3mi) from the route’s start is Villa dei Quintili, a site far more expansive than its name suggests. Sprawling across wide-open meadows, this is one of Rome’s least-visited major attractions.
The 2nd-century villa served as the lavish home of a pair of consuls, the Quintili brothers. However, their luxurious excess led to their downfall: the emperor Commodus had both murdered before seizing the villa for himself and expanding it. The remaining ruins hint at this opulence: don’t miss the baths complex, which includes a pool, caldarium (hot bath room), and frigidarium (cold bath room). Additionally, a small on-site museum provides useful context for the site.
Consider combining your visit to the villa with a walk along the Appian Way, taking in its churches, monuments, artifacts, catacombs, and serene beauty.
6. Explora
Best for kids
Even the most dedicated young explorer can become overwhelmed by Rome’s historic treasures. Fortunately, Explora – Museo dei Bambini di Roma (Rome Children’s Museum) is designed specifically for kids under the age of 12.
This is the city’s only museum for children, divided into thematic sections featuring everything from a play pool and fire engine to a high-speed train driver’s cabin. Everything is hands-on, engaging, and full-on fun; getting a feel for science through play and constructing imaginative creations are just some of the activities available. It’s advisable to reserve in advance as admissions are limited to prevent overcrowding. Outside, a free playground welcomes all visitors.
7. Villa Farnesina
Best small museum
The 16th-century Villa Farnesina boasts serene and symmetrical proportions on the outside and fantastic frescoes throughout its interior. Built for Agostino Chigi, an immensely wealthy papal banker, the villa still reflects his opulent lifestyle and extravagant entertaining. It’s said he encouraged guests to discard their solid-gold plates out the window after meals, with servants waiting below to catch them in nets.
This indulgence is still evident today in the villa’s lavish décor. On the ground floor is the Loggia of Galatea, attributed to Raphael, depicting the legendary sea nymph; the vault is frescoed by Peruzzi, featuring mythological scenes painted by Sebastiano del Piombo. Next door, the magnificent Loggia of Cupid and Psyche was also frescoed by Raphael, depicting nude deities celebrating the marriage of Cupid and Psyche in a lush garden setting.
Throughout, other frescoes offer a stunning panorama of 16th-century Rome, with Chigi’s bedchamber adorned with playful cherubs, gods, and goddesses.
8. Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia
Best unsung museum
There was a significant civilization flourishing in Rome before the Romans established dominance. Before the dawn of the Roman Empire, the Etruscans developed an advanced society spanning much of central Italy, peaking in the 6th century BCE. The 16th-century villa of Pope Julius III provides an atmospheric setting for Italy’s finest collection of Etruscan and pre-Roman treasures. Exhibits, many sourced from tombs in the surrounding Lazio region, range from bronze figurines and black bucchero tableware to magnificent temple decorations, terra-cotta vases, and dazzling jewelry.
Must-sees include a terra-cotta statue of Apollo and the Lamine di Pyrgi (Pyrgi Tablets), three gold sheets inscribed with texts in both Etruscan and Phoenician, discovered during excavations at an ancient seaport. Don’t overlook the museum’s highlight, the 6th-century BCE Sarcofago degli Sposi (Sarcophagus of the Betrothed), an elaborate urn depicting a husband and wife reclining on a stone banqueting couch.
