What a unique museum there is in Rome. Museums of Rome - useful information, addresses and how to buy tickets

Rome can rightfully be called one of the most beautiful and interesting places on the planet. Its history goes back almost 3 thousand years, and the city itself has been declared a World Historical Heritage center. Even local residents are not sure that they have seen all the sights, and what can we say about tourists who come here for two days?

The best museums in Rome

In order to thoroughly understand and see the sights of the Eternal City, you will need at least six months. Therefore, tourists prepare the ground in advance and, even before arriving in Rome, choose the most interesting attractions for themselves. But tourists are united on one thing - it’s worth visiting the museums in Rome. They contain the history of the past, life and traditions of that time. Everyone will find something to their liking and will definitely get a lot of positive emotions.

You only need to remember one thing - almost all museums in Rome are closed on Mondays, but there are exceptions. The queues at the box office are huge, so it’s better to book a ticket on the Rome city website www.rome-museum.com/ or call +39 0632810. In order to pick up your purchased ticket, you just need to come half an hour earlier and get it at the box office. Let's look at the best museums in Rome.

The Vatican Museums, or rather, there is a whole complex of interesting places there. They top the list of art museums in Rome. Here, on a level with antiques, you can see sculptures of modern art nouveau or abstract art. It is better not to order a guide and leisurely enjoy the exhibits. This complex contains about 25 museums, sculptures and architectural structures and is considered the largest museum in the world.

Reception of tourists: daily from 9.00 to 18.00.
Entrance fee from 18 euros, and on holidays 20-22.

This is a large art gallery located inside a villa that belonged to the family of Prince Borghese. About 6 thousand sculptures and paintings are presented here. There are only 75 halls and in them you can see real masterpieces of such greatest artists as Rubens, Monet, Van Gogh...

Operating mode: all days except Monday.
Cost of visit galleries 8 euros.

This is a complex of several buildings that display the best works of sculptors and artists of the last century. The outside of the museum is supported by columns, all lined with handmade tiles, and the walls are painted and decorated with ancient statues and mosaics. The Capitoline Museum houses one of the fragments of the Seven Wonders of the World - a piece from the Colossus.

Works every day from 9.00 to 13.00. And on Tuesday and Saturday visiting hours are extended until 17.00. And in the summer, the Capitol Museum welcomes guests until 23.00.
The ticket costs 8 euros. But for some closed halls you will have to pay an extra 1.50.

National museums
These are four buildings located nearby - the Diocletian building, the Massimo building and the Altempsa palace. IN Massimo you can see a collection of jewelry that has been collected for centuries, sarcophagi, coins that are more than 1.5 thousand years old and colorful mosaics.

Altemps- protects us

The legacy of the former owner, Cardinal Marco Altemps. This building displays sculptures not only of Roman craftsmen, but also those brought from abroad. The Balbi Museum presents a rich exhibition; all its exhibits were dug up in Rome at different times and made a huge contribution to the writing of local history. In the Diocletian Museum presentations of modern exhibitions are often held, and at other times you can see objects from the Roman Empire here.

The museum is waiting for tourists from Monday to Saturday, from 9.00 to 19.00. Closed for wet cleaning from 13.30 to 14.30.
Entrance fee is 6 euros.

Leonardo da Vinci Museum
This museum is hidden in the historical district of the city, in the basement. Here you can see exhibits that were made according to the drawings of the great artist. The museum consists of six halls; there are few exhibits, but you can look at them for hours. At the exit there is a store where everyone can purchase smaller models of the exhibits.

Museum prices from 9 to 4 euros. Discounts are offered to everyone who is studying and those over 60 years old.
The museum is open all week from 10.00 to 20.00.

Museum of Roman Civilization
This is a huge building that contains the history of Rome. You can see with your own eyes the drawings on the frescoes and imagine how the Eternal City was built. Exhibits of ancient literature, sculpture and household items are on display. Another room displays a collection of weapons. Some exhibits are fakes, but exact copies of their predecessors. The museum workers did everything possible to create objects from the ancient city based on the drawings. But this museum is interesting not only for its exhibits. The architecture of buildings can be examined endlessly. Huge massive columns, mosaics, frescoes and arches.

There is a museum constantly, from 9.00 to 5 pm, closed on Mondays.
The ticket costs 7 euros, but for closed halls you will have to pay an additional 1–1.5 euros.

Aviation Museum
The area of ​​this museum is more than 6 sq/m. Here, on the territory of a former factory, there is a park museum. Everyone can look at or touch the technology. See how airplanes were improved and what they were like 100 years ago. Those interested can use the services of a guide who will tell in detail the history of the exhibits.

The doors are open all days except Monday, from 10 am to 7 pm.
Entrance for adults 8 euros, for teenagers under 12 years old - 4 euros, for children under 3 years old admission is free.

Automotive Museum
Here are the cars of the Roman police. You can track how technological progress has developed, how the vehicle has improved, and compare today's car with the very first and earliest version.

This museum is open Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 17.30.
Ticket 4 euros, free entry for under 16s.

The Wax Museum
Opened in 1958 and constantly updated with new exhibits. Here are exact copies of famous people and simulated important situations that were remembered and went down in history.

Visit This museum is open from 7.00 to 20.00. There are no days off or breaks.
Pay to enter will cost 7 euros for adults and children.

Risorgimento Museum
Sculptures and paintings from the Renaissance period are on display here. You can also carefully study Napoleon’s weapons and trace his collapse in the paintings. Learn about the Expedition of the Thousand and watch documentaries and films.

Admission ticket in the Risorgimento it costs 7 euros. Discounts for pensioners and students.
Visit the museum possible from 9.30 to 19.30.

These are the main museums of Rome. But there are also places that are intended for children's audiences, which will be discussed further.

Museums for children

Explora
One of the best children's museums is Explora. There is a great combination of play and new discoveries here. This museum is intended for children from 3 to 13 years old. In the form of a game, children learn the secrets of science, get acquainted with nature, the structure of the human body, run through labyrinths and build houses. You can go anywhere, but for convenience the halls are divided into three categories:

• up to 3 years old,
• up to 6
• and up to 13 years of age.

If you book your visit a week in advance, admission is free.

Price simple 5 euros.
Guests are welcome from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00.

Chinebimbicita
Another interesting and educational museum for children will be Chinebimbicita. It is located in an old film studio where famous Italian films were filmed. In the form of a game, children are revealed the secrets of creating cinema. Using cartoons as an example, they show how to bring a character to life and make him move. This place is intended for children from 5 to 12 years old.

Working hours of this museum from 10.00 to 18.00.
Worth the ticket for children 4 euros, and for parents 7 euros.

Free museums in Rome

There are also free museums in Rome in Italy.

Museum of Ancient Rome
It displays antiques that made a huge contribution to the development of the city.

Working hours from 9.00 to 19.30. From Tuesday to Sunday.

Barraco Museum
It is located in a small palace of the 16th century and presents tourists with the heritage of Count Barraco. There are ancient sculptures, frescoes, the Egyptian Sphinx and much more.

Museum opened all days from 9.00 to 19.00. Closed on Monday

Napoleon Museum
It contains attractions associated with this commander. Each visitor can touch the furniture on which Napoleon sat and see the gallery that he collected during his lifetime. Notes and books are also presented here.

Museum opened from Thursday to Sunday, from 9.00 to 19.00.

Thermal Museum
This is a collection of five archaeological sites. The discoveries presented here have greatly contributed to scientists' understanding of ancient Rome. The sites are located just on the street, and every curious tourist can come here. Only one site is closed and you need to pay about 2 euros to view it, but this is optional.

Working hours from Monday to Saturday, from 9.00 to 17.00.

Zoo museum
There is a huge collection of exhibits here. The halls are divided into several parts - mammals, animals, birds, etc. It all started with the pontiff’s collection, then it began to grow and now happily receives visitors.

The museum accepts from Tuesday to Sunday from 9.00 to 19.00.

And these are just the most popular free museums. There are a lot of them, you just need to look. For example, we can call some more interesting free places:

• Spada Gallery,
• Museum of the Middle Ages,
• Ostia,
• Andersen Museum,
• Mario Prazo Museum,
• museum of musical instruments,
• exhibition of oriental art,
• tomb of Metella,
• temples and cathedrals.

The museums and galleries of Rome are so different that it is impossible to single out just one. All places are interesting and informative in their own way, so it’s worth having time to see as many museums in Rome as possible; it’s better to check the cost in advance, since depending on the seasons, holiday season or local holidays, the price may vary slightly.

Unusual museums in Rome

Other famous places include the unusual museums of Rome.

Rome Pasta Museum
It is dedicated to the history of pasta. Visitors can study the history of pasta, see what and how it was made before. Find out how this product gained popularity and spread around the world. In addition, pasta can be made in different colors and shapes. All experiments can be seen at the exhibition.

There is a museum from Tuesday to Sunday.
Entry price 5 euros, children under 16 years old free.

Museum of the Souls of the Departed

It is advantageously located just in, it is also called the Capuchin Museum, since the bones of the temple servants are kept in it. The place is strewn with bones, they lie on the window sills, in the walls and on the floor. There are also several mummies that did not decompose after death.
Entrance is free, just before visiting you need to ask permission from the local priest, but this is just a tribute to tradition, since he allows absolutely everyone to enter the temple-museum.

Brain Lab Museum
Here are discoveries related to the functioning of our brain. Legends and stories about these discoveries were collected from all over the world, and experiments were often carried out illegally - in psychiatric hospitals on patients. All this is collected in the museum-laboratory.

You can visit this place from Tue. to Sunday from 9.00 to 17.00.
Entrance 4 euros.

Museum of Criminology
The most notorious and famous cases of the criminal world are collected here. You can look at the weapons used by the bandits, learn the life story of maniacs and robbers who constantly evaded persecution. The museum displays not only weapons; clothes of that time, household items, money and newspapers have been preserved here.

Entrance costs 5 euros.
The museum is waiting for guests all days except Monday.

What conclusion can be drawn from the above? It's definitely worth taking the time to see the museums in Rome. Opening hours are on average from 9 to 17. Inexpensive entrance to the museums of Rome, ticket price up to 10 euros. It is better to check at the ticket office whether photography or video shooting is allowed inside the premises. If you do this without permission, you will have to pay a considerable fine.

You can save a little and buy a universal ticket to museums. It's called, you can buy it online or at any city box office. The locals are very polite and friendly, so don't be shy to ask. They will help and tell you about the most interesting places in Rome.

Museums of Rome in the photo

Below you can see the museums of Rome in the photo.

Millions of tourists come to the capital of Italy every year. Queues to enter museums and attractions in Rome stretch for hundreds of meters, and hours are spent waiting in them. When is the best time to come to Rome, where should you go, how to buy tickets in advance, is there any benefit from tourist cards? Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica, Borghese Gallery, Colosseum without a queue. With these tips you will have time to see all the interesting things!

When to come to Rome?

Rome is popular all year round, but the largest number of tourists come from May to September and on holidays. If you want to avoid large crowds and take advantage of favorable prices for accommodation, choose spring or autumn. During the off-season, the weather in Rome is pleasant with sunshine and warm days. We went to Rome in mid-November, the daytime temperature was between +18...+20° C, in the evening it was enough to wear a windbreaker. In winter, it starts raining in Rome and there are even fewer tourists. It is better not to plan a trip to Rome during Easter; 2 weeks before the biggest religious holiday, believers from all over the world flock to Rome. Many people come to Rome for Catholic Christmas.

Sights of Rome

There are so many historical sites and cultural sites in Rome that you shouldn’t make it your goal to see everything in one trip. If you are in Rome for the first time, focus on the main thing, and there will be time left - relax, sit in a cafe, go shopping, because the Eternal City is not only monuments with museums, but also an atmosphere.

Many of the sights of Rome can be viewed completely free of charge: St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, the ruins of the forums along Fori Imperiali, the monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the Trevi Fountain, the park of Villa Borghese, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps...

The most popular places in Rome with paid admission: the Colosseum, the Palatine and the Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums, the Borghese Gallery, the National Roman Museum (the Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps, Balba Crypt).

How to avoid standing in queues to enter?

Of the popular Roman attractions, there are always queues for St. Peter's Cathedral, the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Palatine and the Roman Forum, and the Borghese Gallery. This problem can be solved by making a reservation in advance, buying tickets online, or just knowing the little secrets of visiting a particular site.

Saint Paul's Cathedral

The main Catholic Cathedral is located in the Vatican. Free entry from St. Peter's Square. During the day the line either increases or decreases. You cannot enter the cathedral in revealing clothing (shorts, short skirts, bare shoulders); make sure you are dressed appropriately so as not to waste your time in line. On Wednesdays, an audience of the Pope takes place in St. Peter's Cathedral, so tourists on this day are better off going somewhere else, and those who want to attend the audience must make an appointment in advance.

You can enter St. Peter's Basilica without a queue and get an audio guide using the OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card (more details in the section) or by purchasing an online ticket with a guided tour. Inside the cathedral there is another queue for tickets for the dome and observation deck. The St. Peter's Dome tour includes priority entry into the cathedral and elevator ride.

Vatican Museums

The unique collection of art collected by the Catholic Church and the Sistine Chapel with paintings by Michelangelo bring thousands of visitors to the Vatican walls every day. Many people do not expect to see a huge line for tickets; they turn around and leave, or stand for 2-4 hours. You can get into the Vatican Museums without waiting in line with or, as we did, buy tickets online.

Tickets are sold on the official Vatican website or on Ticketbar (in Russian in rubles). When making a reservation, you must select the day and time of your visit and enter the personal data of all participants. After paying by credit card, a voucher with a QR code will be sent to the specified e-mail. Along with the ticket, information is sent on how to get to the Vatican Museums with a map (10 minutes walk from the Ottaviano or Cipro metro stations).

Once there, you must go to the right side of the entry line and present your tickets along with your ID. Tickets are scanned from printouts or electronic devices, a regular ticket is issued at the box office, and you no longer need to pay for anything. You can also skip the line to the Vatican Museums by purchasing the OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card. The Vatican Museums are open for free on the last Sunday of the month until 14:00 (entrance until 12:30), you cannot sign up in advance, so queues on this day cannot be avoided.

Colosseum, Palatine, Roman Forum

These archaeological sites are located in the open air in the very center of Rome, which was once the center of world civilization. A combined ticket valid for 2 days is sold to visit all three sites. You cannot buy a separate ticket, for example, to the Colosseum. While most tourists wait in a long line for tickets to the Colosseum, at the Palatine there may be no line at all.

We bought a ticket at the Palatine ticket office in 15 minutes (in November), on the first day we visited the Colosseum, on the second - the Palatine and the Roman Forum. If you have time, do the same, since the area is very large. There are several other ways to get into the Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum without queuing: buy tickets online, purchase Roma Pass tourist cards or OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card.

Online tickets without queues

Borghese Gallery

The art collection, which belonged to the influential family of Cardinal Borghese, includes works by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, sculptures by Bernini and other recognized world masters. Access to the gallery is only possible by appointment. Tickets are sold online (booking fee €2). Visits to the museum are held in 2-hour sessions, from 9:00 to 19:00. If all the tickets are sold out, you can come a few minutes before the start of the show; there is a small chance that one of those who signed up will not be there and you will take his place.

You can explore all the main attractions of Rome on a bus tour with an audio guide, there are 9 stops on the route.

Tourist maps of Rome

Roma Pass 48 hours. Valid for 48 hours (2 days) from the date of use. Includes: free skip-the-line entry to the first museum or architectural monument of your choice, provides discounts on other objects from the list, free travel on public transport. The Colosseum has a special turnstile for skip-the-line entry from the Roma Pass.
Buy online

OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card 72 hours. Valid for 72 hours (3 days). Includes:

• free entry to the Vatican Museums, audio guide to St. Peter's Basilica
• entrance to 2 of the 6 most popular sites of your choice (Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine, Capitoline Museums, Borghese Gallery, National Museum, Castel Sant'Angelo)
• fast track to St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museums, Colosseum
• hop-on-hop-off tourist bus rides for 3 days
• travel by public transport
• guide to Rome
• discounts on over 30 attractions and museums in Rome

OMNIA Vatican & Rome Card 24 hours. Vatican and Rome for 24 hours: priority entry to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, audio guide to St. Peter's Basilica, hop-on-hop-off bus.
Buy online

Rome Tourist Card. Card without time limit! Includes:

• transfer from Ciampino or Fiumicino airport and back
• Skip-the-line entry to St. Peter's Basilica + audio guide
• ticket to the Colosseum, Palatine and Roman Forum + audio guides
• 20% discount on entrance tickets to the main museums in Rome (optional, you can add the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel)
• discounts on other attractions, museums, cycling tours and excursions

Rome Day Pass. Day pass for those arriving at the Rome cruise terminal.
Includes:

• return ticket on the Civitavecchia train from the port of Rome to St. Peter's station
• ticket to the Colosseum
• hop-on-hop-off bus ticket for 24 hours
• 20% discount on entrance fees to museums/attractions in Rome

Rome's national museums and archaeological sites are open to the public for free during Heritage Week (mid-April), Night at the Museum in mid-May, and the first Sunday of each month.

1st place - Vatican Museums. .I went to the museums on my own after I toured St. Peter’s Basilica, you need to move along the fortress wall of the Vatican and soon there will be an entrance to the museums (entrance in the photo). Open in the summer from 08.45 to 16.45 on Monday and Friday, on Saturday from 08.45 to 13.45. Ticket - 14 euros. But it's worth it. It is better to come in the morning, while there are few organized groups. The line moves quickly anyway.

The museum itself is easy to navigate - you need to follow the directional arrows that will lead to the main thing - the Sistine Chapel, and on the way to it you will see all the main artifacts of the museum - a collection of paintings, a collection of ancient Roman Greek sculptures, apartments of the Popes, four Raphael halls.

Vatican Museums

Courtyard at the Vatican.

Frescoes of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo (early 16th century)

You can spend half a day on these museums, but for me the optimal time is 3 hours; after that, the brain is already overloaded with beauty and the inspection is useless, it’s better to come back next time, although in 3 hours you’ll see everything important.

2nd place. Borghese Gallery. The pleasure palace (pictured), founded in the 17th century by the pope's favorite nephew, houses a priceless collection of art. This is one of the world's great small museums. Open from 09.00-19.00 from Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets must be booked in advance for a specific time.

The collection includes great sculptures by Bernini - “Apollo and Daphne” and “The Rape of Proserpina”, as well as paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and other greats.

The biggest drawback is that they do not allow photos and they strictly monitor this.

After the Galleria Borghese, you can explore the largest garden in Rome, around the palace.

3rd place - Capitoline Museums. Located in the famous square (Piazza del Campidoglio - pictured), designed by Michelangelo, the papal collections of art objects are much smaller than in the Vatican, but just as priceless.

Open from 09.00 to 20.00 from Tuesday to Sunday. Ticket 8 euros.

Capitoline Museums

Capitoline Museums

4th place - National Museum of Rome with a luxurious collection of classic works of art. Located next to Termini station - 100 meters, in the palace (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme - pictured)

Open from 09.00 to 19.45. from Tuesday to Sunday. By purchasing a ticket for 12 euros, which is valid for three days, you can also visit the Baths of Diocletian, the Altemps Museum and the Balbi Crypt)

The museum contains the best ancient sculptures and mosaics of Ancient Rome.

Time for inspection: 2-3 hours

— Walls in the houses of ancient Romans

Mosaic of the ancient Romans

In every tourist trip, in particular to Italy, there comes a moment when you need to come into contact with high art, and not just sunbathe on the beaches. A selection of the ten best museums will help here. Galleries of Rome , a must-see, also in this material. It is better to go to museums in the afternoon, when the tourist flow weakens slightly.

A huge complex of museums (Musei Vaticani), located on the territory of the Vatican. Contains 54 galleries in Rome, including the Apostolic Library, the Stanzas of Raphael, the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.

The museum was founded by Pope Julius II in 1506. The first exhibit was lucky to be the sculptural group “Laocoon and Sons”. It is better to visit the Vatican only with professional guides. It is also recommended to read.

Capitoline Museums

The Capitoline Galleries of Rome (Musei Capitolini) are located in the 3 Capitoline palaces - the Senatorial Palace, the Conservative Palace and the Palazzo Nuovo. The beginning of the museum collection was laid by Pope Sixtus IV, who presented antique bronze statues to the Roman people in 1417. Currently, the Palazzo Conservatori houses a rich collection of antique exhibits, the most valuable of which is the original of the Capitoline She-wolf.

The new palace boasts unique mosaics from the villa of Emperor Hadrian.

National Gallery of Ancient Art

National Gallery of Ancient Art (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica) - another one of the best galleries in Rome is located in the Barberini and Corsini palaces. The first contains such great creations as Raphael’s “Fornarina” and “Judith and Holofernes” by Caravaggio, as well as many more paintings by Titian and El Greco. In the second there are also Caravaggio, Rubens and Bruegel.

On the territory of Villa Giulia there are galleries of the Rome Museum of Etruscan Art with interesting exhibits of the material culture of a vanished civilization.

The exhibition dedicated to the funeral cult of the Etruscans is especially large. The building itself in former times was the summer residence of the popes. It is recommended to read about the most beautiful villas and palaces in Rome.

Gallery Doria Pamphili

Gallery of Rome - Doria Pamphilj is a private gallery with an impressive collection of art. Italian painting of the 17th century is best represented - paintings by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio. The collection of marble reliefs by Duquesnoy is also stunning.

Palazzo and Spada Gallery

The private collection of another gallery in Rome, Spada (Palazzo e Galleria Spada), dating back to the 17th century, includes works by Titian, Guido Reni, Rubens and other outstanding Renaissance masters. A curious landmark of the palace is the Borromini Perspective, which is a gradually narrowing corridor. The 60-centimeter figure of the horseman, located at the narrow end of the corridor, looks as if it reaches average human height!

Galleries in Rome: National Gallery of Modern Art

Rome has no shortage of examples of ancient art. But the time has come to somehow demonstrate the modern! For this purpose, an exhibition hall was erected near the famous Villa Borghese, where in 1915 the National Gallery of Modern Art (Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderno) was opened - also one of the best galleries in Rome.

5 unusual museums in Rome Worth a visit if you have already explored the Eternal City enough and want to see something new.

Rome is an open-air museum city, where you can walk endlessly, looking at free “museum” exhibitions: ancient ruins, squares, fountains, facades of countless churches and palaces. But not all the treasures of the Eternal City are so obvious. Some hidden in rather unusual and even shocking museums. We present to you a selection of five Roman museums, a visit to which can amaze you to the core, make you think and even draw important life conclusions for yourself.

5 unusual museums in Rome:

1. Catacombs on the Appian Way /Catacombe di Roma

The fascinating underground labyrinths-necropolises of the first Christians, located on the ancient Appian Way, will make you rise above the bustle of the current day and think that death is another face of life. The ancients will introduce you to the early morning of Christianity (just think, this is the 2nd-5th centuries AD, when a unified Roman Empire still existed) and will take you to the times of the first popes, starting with the Apostle Peter, when this religion was just beginning to conquer minds and hearts and found its own artistic language.

Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) - one of the 7 main roads that connected the capital of the empire with the seaport of Brundisium (modern Brindisi), located on the “heel” of the Apennine “boot”. In the 5th century BC, when a ban on burials within Rome was introduced, a tradition arose of burying the dead along the Appian Way. Here you can see the magnificent tombs and columbaria (storage urns with ashes) of the Roman nobility, located above ground. But it’s more interesting to go underground, where in tunnels made of soft tuff, in which niches in several rows were carved out, the first Christians buried their dead along with the pagans - more than 500,000 people in total.

A visit to the catacombs will allow you to touch the origins of modern Christian Rome and, the center of the Catholic world, and learn more about the history of Christianity. The first services were held in the catacombs on the tombs of martyrs (the Christian tradition of celebrating the liturgy on the relics of saints originates from here), and the walls and ceilings of the tunnels were decorated with frescoes.

I pagan and secular drawings here coexist with frescoes illustrating scenes from the Bible and drawings with characteristic early Christian symbols -fish, lamb, dove with an olive branch in its beak, anchor, chrysmas (monogram of the name of Christ, which consists of two initial Greek letters chi and rho). Thus, in the catacombscan see some of the first evidence of artistic understanding of the image of Jesus Christ and the entire Christian teaching.

The most interesting and large-scale catacombs open to the public on the Appian Way: Catacombs of Saint Callistus (San Callisto), Catacombs of Saint Sebastian (San Sebastiano), Catacombs of Saint Domitilla (Santa Domitilla). Visits to the catacombs are carried out in organized groups. The guide, as a rule, is a priest or monk who has a good knowledge of history and understands the symbolism of these underground early Christian necropolises.

2. Museum shower V purgatory/ Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio

Do you want to be horrified and amazed at the same time? Visit one of the most unusual and strange places in Rome - Museum of Souls in Purgatory. This museum is located in the sacristy of the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Prati ( ), located near the Castel Sant'Angelo on the Tiber Lungotevere, and is closely connected with its history.

This small church in itself is worthy of your attention, as it is built in the neo-Gothic style, which is very rare among Roman churches, and its neat appearance resembles a carved ivory box. For its external resemblance to the famous Milan Cathedral, it was even nicknamed "Milan's little duomo". But it was not always like this - the construction of a new, modern building was carried out from 1908 to 1917.

Construction was preceded by a devastating fire in the old church building, which occurred in 1897. But it was this fire that became the impetus for the appearance of such a strange museum: priest Victor Jouet noticed behind the altar that the fire and smoke had left a drawing on the wall that looked like someone’s sad face. In his opinion, it was the soul of a deceased person, imprisoned in purgatory, which was trying to establish contact with someone alive.

It is important to know that, according to Catholics, purgatory is an intermediate place between heaven and hell, where souls are not burdened with mortal sins and therefore did not go to hell, but also did not live in full accordance with God’s commandments, and therefore did not end up in paradise. The only way for these souls to leave purgatory and enter Heaven is through fervent prayers of loved ones that are still on the ground.

Victor Jouet, impressed by what he saw in the Church of the Sacred Heart, began to travel throughout Europe and collect evidence that souls were trying to make themselves known and get in touch with the living. In the museum created on the basis of his collection, you can see bibles, prayer books, clothes, photographs, tablets - with strange, inexplicable marks, similar to those that might be left by hands burned by fire. Greetings “from the other world”, which send chills down your spine and make you feel uneasy.

All the relics in the museum are authentic and belonged to specific people; the oldest of them date back to the 17th century. As they say, believe it or not, but the sight of the “imprints” of souls stuck in purgatory, where it is clearly no sweeter than hell, makes you think about the degree of correctness of your own life.

Address: Lungotevere Prati, 12

Price: free (donations to the church are welcome). Ask the attendant to take you to the museum.

3. Mamertine prison / Carcere Mamertino

One of the oldest buildings in Rome (much older than the Colosseum and many neighboring buildings in the Roman Forum), dating back to the times of the semi-legendary Roman kings, is the Mamertine Prison, which today operates as a museum.

The prison is located in the Roman Forum, on the northwestern slope of the Capitoline Hill, in the place where popular meetings - comitia - were held. The underground prison complex consists of two rooms. The first dates back to 640-616. BC. and the time of King Ancus Marcius, the second - by 578-534 BC. and to King Servius Tullius, after whom the dungeon began to be called – Tullianum. And the modern name Mamertinum appeared later, in the Middle Ages, and its origin is associated with the nearby temple of the god Mars.

Gloomy, cramped, smelly prison dungeon, where there was nothing to breathe and where there was no sunlight, brought fear to the Roman citizens. Prisoners who were thrown into the prison through a hole in the ceiling rarely stayed there for long (long-term imprisonment only became common during the late Empire). Many died before trial or official execution due to exhaustion, suffocation (lack of sufficient oxygen) and torture.

The enemies of the Roman Republic languished in this prison, and not only representatives of enemy states, but also the “fifth column,” as they would say now. Among them - members of the Catiline conspiracy who tried to seize power through armed seizure. It was then that Cicero delivered his famous accusatory speech, from which many know the expression “O times! Oh morals!

Christian tradition attributes other famous prisoners to this prison - Saints Peter and Paul who were here awaiting execution. In the former prison, which, starting from the 4th century, became a place of pilgrimage for Christians, an altar with an inverted cross was installed, giving the whole room a slightly eerie look.

However, the inverted cross is actually a reference to St. Peter, since Peter, also the first Pope and founder of the Roman Catholic Church, was crucified head down at his own request (he considered himself unworthy of the death of Christ).

You can learn more about the mysterious symbols and signs of Christianity on our quest

In the 16th century, the church of San Giuseppe dei Falegnami was built over the former prison in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. The entrance to the prison with the inscription Mamertinum is located in its lower part.

Address: Via del Clivio Argentario, 1

Price: full ticket – 10 euros, reduced ticket – 5 euros (children under 6 years old free)

4. Museum of another in another place Metropolis /Museo dell‘ Altro e dell‘ Altrove di Metropolis (MAAM)

Want to see a different Rome? Rome beyond the canonical image of the city of antiquity and baroque? It seems that in the Eternal City, with its almost 2800-year history, there cannot be a place for contemporary art, but it is present here in three museums at once. Two of them (MACRO and MAXXI) are full-fledged museums with exhibitions in specially equipped buildings, but the third is unusual even compared to its peers. This is not a museum, but rather an art space where real life with all its unsightly sides and art are intertwined, which unites and heals, provides the opportunity for self-expression for everyone without restrictions on social status.

Its name is also unusual - Museum of the Other in a Different Place. It all started in 2009, when several families of Italians and migrants from Morocco, Sudan, Eritrea, Peru and Ukraine settled in an abandoned salami factory in Rome's multicultural and multi-ethnic Tor Sapienza district. People who did not have a roof over their heads found their home at the factory, which they began to settle in and gradually turn into art space, covering walls and ceilings with drawings and graffiti.

In 2011, to protect the factory's inhabitants from eviction, anthropologist Giorgio de Finis called for the construction of "art barricades", inviting leading artists and graffiti artists from around the world who found in MAAM an opportunity for self-expression and work without restrictions.

Today you can see here more than 500 drawings, graffiti and installations, some of them by famous contemporary artists such as Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Thus, thanks to art and the joint actions of many caring people, the former slaughterhouse was transformed into “another place” where the right to life, creativity and freedom was protected. The Tower of Babel did not collapse in this particular case. On the contrary, here, like nowhere else, there is a sense of unity that permeates us all, despite the difference in cultures, languages ​​and worldviews.

Address: Via Prenestina, 193

Open on Saturdays from 11.00 to 17.00. You must first submit a request to visit [email protected] or at