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The Capitoline Museums are considered the oldest public museums in the world and one of the most important collections of ancient Roman art and archaeology.
Their history began in 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of ancient bronze statues to the people of Rome. This gift included famous works such as the Capitoline Wolf, symbol of the legendary founders Romulus and Remus. That donation is considered the birth of the museum.
The museums are located on the Capitoline Hill, one of the famous Seven Hills of ancient Rome. During the Renaissance, Michelangelo redesigned the square above the hill, the Piazza del Campidoglio, in 1536. His elegant design transformed the area into a monumental civic center for Rome. The museum complex mainly occupies two palaces facing the square:
- the Palazzo dei Conservatori
- the Palazzo Nuovo
These buildings contain masterpieces of Roman sculpture, inscriptions, mosaics, paintings, and artifacts that tell the story of ancient Rome.
In 1734, Pope Clement XII officially opened the collections to the public. This was revolutionary because art collections had previously been private, accessible mainly to nobles or clergy. For this reason, the Capitoline Museums are often described as the world’s first museum open to ordinary citizens.
Today, the Capitoline Museums remain one of Rome’s most important cultural institutions, combining ancient Roman history, Renaissance architecture, and modern exhibitions in a single complex.
PRIVATE TOUR MINIMUM 2 PEOPLE
EXTRA PERSON €250,00
Includes:
- Pick-up and drop off with luxury transportation and private chauffeur
- Private professional tour guide
- Entrance skip the line tickets in Capitoline Museums
Not Included:
- 22% vat tax
- Food and beverages
- Gratuities. If you are satisfied with the service, a gratuity is customary
More about this tour
CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS
A tour inside the Capitoline Museums is a journey through the history of ancient Rome, Renaissance art, and the origins of the world’s first public museum. Located on the top of Capitoline Hill in the magnificent Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo, the museums combine archaeology, sculpture, painting, and civic history in one of Rome’s most important cultural sites.
Inside Palazzo dei Conservatori visitors could see grand frescoed halls celebrating legendary moments of Roman history. Here you’ll find some of the museum’s most famous masterpieces, including the Capitoline Wolf, symbol of Rome’s founding myth of Romulus and Remus, the Spinario bronze statue, and the enormous fragments of the Colossus of Constantine. Another highlight is the original equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of the few surviving bronze statues from antiquity.
The route continues through underground galleries filled with inscriptions and ancient artifacts before reaching Palazzo Nuovo, which contains some of the finest classical sculptures in the world. Visitors encounter masterpieces such as the Dying Gaul, dramatic busts of Roman emperors and philosophers, and beautifully preserved marble statues that reveal the artistic sophistication of the Roman Empire.
The museums surround Michelangelo’s elegant piazza, and several terraces offer spectacular panoramic views over the Roman Forum. Alongside ancient sculpture, the Capitoline Museums also house important Renaissance and Baroque paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Titian, and Tintoretto.
Visitors often describe the experience as less crowded and more intimate than the Vatican Museums, while still containing masterpieces of enormous historical importance. Many travelers particularly appreciate how the museum connects directly to the story of ancient Rome itself, especially the view over the Roman Forum.
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