Rome.us
  • TAXI FARES CALCULATOR
  • BOOK PRIVATE TOUR
  • WHERE TO STAY
    • Hotels near Termini
    • 3 Star Hotels
    • 4 Star Hotels
    • 5 Star Hotels
    • Apartments For Rent
    • Best Hostels
    • Hotels near the Colloseum
  • HOW TO GET
    • Fiumicino Airport
    • Ciampino Airport
    • Termini Railway Station
    • To Venice
    • To Florence
    • To Ostia Antica
    • To Naples
    • To Milan
    • To Pisa
    • To Siena
  • WHERE TO EAT
    • Famous Roman Dishes
    • Best Pizza Places
    • Best Pasta Places
    • Local Italian Food
    • Best Gelato Places
    • Best Rooftop Bars
  • WHAT TO SEE
    • Colosseum
    • Pantheon
    • Sistine Chapel
    • Vatican Museums
    • Borghese Gallery
    • Roman Forum
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Spanish Steps
    • Castel Sant’Angelo
    • Navona Square
    • Ancient Sites and Ruins
    • Churches
    • Galleries and Museums
    • Parks and Gardens
    • Squares and Fountains
  • DAY TRIPS
    • To Tivoli
    • To Ostia Antica
    • Beaches near Rome
    • To Alberobello
  • WEATHER: WHAT TO WEAR?
    • January
    • February
    • March
    • April
    • May
    • June
    • July
    • August
    • September
    • October
    • November
    • December
  • TIPS
    • Buying a Sim Card in Italy
    • How to Choose a Hotel
    • Renting a Car in Rome
    • What to See in 3 days
    • Rainy Days in Rome
    • Apps for Tourists
    • Tickets to Vatican museums
    • Souvenirs from Rome
    • Free Things to Do
    • Unusual Things to do
    • Public Transport
    • Shopping
    • ASK US
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
  • PRIVATE TOURS
    • Italian food and wine
    • Tivoli
    • Sightseeing Tour at Sunrise
    • Sightseeing Tour by Car
    • St Peter’s Basilica
    • Colosseum & Roman Forum
  • NEIGHBORHOODS
    • Campo Marzio
    • Jewish Ghetto Quarters
    • Quartiere Coppedè
    • Monti
    • Sant’Eustachio
    • Trastevere
    • Trevi
  • EMPERORS
    • Marcus Aurelius
    • Gaius Julius Caesar
    • Nero
    • Octavian Augustus
    • Caligula
    • Hadrian
    • Vespasian
    • Commodus
    • Trajan
Home / Museums and Galleries /

Capitoline Museums

Written by: Kate Zusmann

Capitoline Museums in Rome

5979 views

The Capitoline Museums are considered the world’s oldest national museums founded in 1471. Pope Sixtus IV bequeathed valuable bronze statues to Roman citizens, and this collection led to the birth of this world-famous site. There are two buildings in front of each other on Piazza del Campidoglio. Also, there you will find many sculptures, mosaics, artworks, frescoes, archeological excavations, and art galleries. The major symbol of Rome, “Lupa Capitolina,” is located in the museums.

The museums consist of two buildings located on the Piazza del Campidoglio: the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo. Moreover, both buildings are linked by the Galleria Lapidaria, a tunnel located under Piazza del Campidoglio.

Contents

  • Palazzo dei Conservatori
  • Palazzo Nuovo
  • Opening hours and tickets
  • Getting to the Capitoline Museums
  • Nearby Attractions

Palazzo dei Conservatori

The Palazzo dei Conservatori was opened in 1734 under Pope Clement XII. There you will find a collection with paintings, sculptures, busts of famous people of that time, and works by legendary Caravaggio, Tiziano, Rubens, and Tintoretto.

Moreover, the Palazzo dei Conservatori is the main entrance to the museums, and previously, it was the main location of the city magistrates. Additionally, part of the ground floor is still used as a municipal register office.

Also, there is the rooftop restaurant, with views over the city of Rome.

Glorious “She Wolf” (Lupa Capitolina) and the Ritratto di Carlo I d’Angio de Arnolfo di Cambio, the first sculpture of a living person, are located there.

“She Wolf” (Lupa Capitolina) Capitoline Museums Rome

Talking about “Lupa Capitolina,” the statue was donated to the Roman people by Pope Sixtus IV. The bronze wolf is from the 5th-century BC, but her suckling wards were added in 1471. Moreover, there are Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “Medusa” and the “Spinario” from the 1st-century, which is a bronze of a boy removing a thorn from his foot.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “Medusa” in Capitoline Museums Rome

When you enter the building, take a look at the ancient masonry located on the ground-floor courtyard, where you will find a mammoth head, foot, and hand. Importantly, these came from a 12 meters high statue of Constantine. The statue originally stood in the Basilica di Massenzio in the Roman Forum.

statue of Constantine in Capitoline Museums Rome

Transfer from Fiumicino Airport to Rome

Fix price transfer from the Fiumicino Airport to Rome

€60.00

Upstairs, in the Pinacoteca, there is the museums’ art gallery with works from the 16th and 17th-centuries. There are several rooms with masterpieces, and two of them are separate:

  • The Sala Pietro da Cortona with Pietro da Cortona’s legendary depiction of the “Ratto delle Sabine” (Rape of the Sabine)
  • The Sala Santa Petronella, named after Guercino’s huge canvas “Seppellimento di Santa Petronilla (The Burial of St Petronilla)

Palazzo Nuovo

The Palazzo Nuovo is dedicated primarily to the exhibition of statues, sculptures, mosaics, and busts, where some of them are replicas of Greek originals.

Among the museum’s greatest works, there is the “Capitoline Venus,” a marble sculpture of the nude goddess designed between 100 and 150 A.D. Also, there is the “Galata Morente” – a Roman copy of a 3rd century BC original by Greeks, which shows the anguish of a dying Gaul warrior.

In the Hall of the Philosophers, you will find impressive busts of Greek and Roman philosophers. They had previously decorated the gardens and villas of the Roman aristocrats.

Opening hours and tickets

  • The museum is open daily except for Mondays from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm
  • Price – Adults: 15 euro
  • Roman Citizens only (by showing a valid ID) – Adults: 13 euro
  • Booking service for groups is available for an additional booking fee of 25 euro + the museum’s admission ticket costs. Guided tours are not included in the booking fee
  • Last admission 1 hour before closing time
  • The official website is www.museicapitolini.org
  • Guided tours are in Italian, English, French, Spanish, and German. You have to book it in advance. The duration is 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the price is 100 euro per group (max. of visitors depends on the museum) + the museum’s admission ticket costs.

Sometimes there are long queues for tickets, so it would be a good decision to buy them online in advance

  • You can choose the Capitoline Museums as one of the attractions using Roma Pass.
  • There are audio guides in English and a baggage desk right near the entrance for your convenience.
  • Tickets can be purchased with also credit cards and ATM

Getting to the Capitoline Museums

It is easy to get to the Capitoline Museums because of its central location near Piazza Venezia, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum. Moreover, the closest metro station is at Colosseum station.

  • Bus stop: Piazza Venezia. Buses: 64, 87 and electric bus 119

When in Rome, you should definitely visit the Capitoline Museums. Tell us about your experience and your famous artwork in the comments!

Nearby Attractions

Capitoline Square
1 min 160 ft 50 m
Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara Coeli
3 min 490 ft 150 m
Mamertine Prison
3 min 560 ft 170 m
Roman Forum
4 min 720 ft 220 m
Theater of Marcellus
5 min 850 ft 260 m
Altar of The Fatherland
5 min 890 ft 270 m
Piazza Venezia
7 min 1120 ft 340 m
Great Synagogue
7 min 1210 ft 370 m
Arch of Janus
8 min 1250 ft 380 m
Crypta Balbi
8 min 1310 ft 400 m

Author: Kate Zusmann

Kate Zusmann

For the last 10 years, I live in the Eternal City. Traveling, exploring new things, writing blogs, and shooting vlogs are my main hobbies, but the thing that I like even more is sharing my experience and thoughts with you! Explore Rome with Us :)

Dive Deeper into Rome's Stories

Crypta Balbi Museum in Rome

141 views

Crypta Balbi Archaeological Museum

The Borghese Gallery and Museum The Ultimate Guide for Visitors

10380 views

The Borghese Gallery and Museum – The Ultimate Guide 2023 for Visitors

Doria Pamphilj Gallery

21731 views

The Doria Pamphilj Gallery

Rome Villa Torlonia Casino nobile

711 views

Villa Torlonia – An Aristocratic Beauty Unveiled

house of the Owls in Rome

7311 views

House of the Owls

The Great Synagogue of Rome Italy

688 views

The Great Synagogue of Rome

Barberini Palace

892 views

Palazzo Barberini – Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica

Paintings by Caravaggio in Rome

13865 views

Where to See Caravaggio’s Paintings in Rome

The Corsini Gallery in Rome

15370 views

Palazzo Corsini: The Galleria Corsini Art Museum in Rome

Show more

About us

About us ROME.US Authors Kate Zusmann and Artur Jakucewicz
We’re Kate and Artur, a duo bound by our shared fascination with the eternal city – Rome. Our paths, driven by a mutual passion for its timeless stories and architectural marvels, converged in a way we had never imagined.

FEATURED ARTICLES

  • Statue of Emperor Tiberius

    14915 views

    Emperor Tiberius

  • The Vatican Gardens in Rome

    14822 views

    Vatican Gardens Ultimate Guide 2023

  • beaches near rome

    2204 views

    What is the Closest Beach to Rome?

  • December Weather in Rome

    2438 views

    What to Wear in Rome in December?

  • from Rome to Verona

    1033 views

    How to Get from Rome to Verona

Popular Articles

  • Vatican Museums Guide

    983068 views

    The Vatican Museums – Tickets, Tours & 2023 Ultimate Guide

  • Visiting Sistine Chapel

    923039 views

    Sistine Chapel – All You Need to Know Before Visiting in 2023

  • hop-on hop-off tour bus in Rome

    112823 views

    Hop-On Hop-Off Tour Buses in Rome

  • what to see in Rome in 3 days itinerary

    103545 views

    What to See in 3 days in Rome?

  • The Colosseum

    102582 views

    Original Roman Colosseum

  • why colosseum is a wonder of the world

    70320 views

    Why the Colosseum is a wonder of the world – what is it famous for?

  • Circo Massimo

    64927 views

    Circus Maximus

Rome.us
  • social logo
  • social logo
  • social logo
  • social logo

Rome.us © 2023. Created with love by Roman experts and guides.

Privacy Policy

  • English
Hey! Rome.us uses cookies are used for ads personalisation and to make your user experience better. By staying here, you're okay with our cookie use. Thanks!