The Museums of Rome
The city of Rome is steeped in history, so it only stands to reason that it would be home to some of the most interesting museums in the world. They carry everything from artefacts of the ancient world to art history.
The Borghese Museum and Gallery is a small palace that was built to host Cardinal Scipione Borghese’s art collection. Famous sculptures including G.L. Bernini’s “David,” “Apollo and Daphne,” “Pluto and Proserpina,” as well as Canova’s statue of Pauline Borghese can be found here. The picture gallery includes masterpieces such as Correggio’s “Danae,” Raphael’s “Deposition,” paintings by Caravaggio, and Titian’s “Sacred and Profane love.”
The L. Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography on the Piazza Marconi houses an ethnographic collection created by European indigenous cultures. There are more than 60,000 pieces to be seen, including documentation of evolution stretching from the Palaeolithic era to the Iron Age. These would be found in the Italian prehistoric and protohistoric section.
The National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo played the role of burial chamber to emperors from Hadrian up to Septimius Severus as well as their families. It was then used as a fortress and prison in the Middle Ages. As of 1925, it was converted into a museum containing sculptures, furniture, weapons, fragments of floor from the XIV and XV centuries, and frescoes created by Perin del Vaga and Pellegrino.
The Roman National Museum houses a reputed archaeological collection of Greek, Roman, and Christian art from Rome and the surrounding neighbourhood.
The Vatican Museums are arguably Rome’s most famous and spectacular museums. The vast complex covers an area of more than 7 kilometres and hosts one of the world’s largest art collections. The Pinacoteca Vaticana hosts 17 rooms that hold paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Bellini, Raphael, and Titian. The Museo Gregoriano egizio has 10 halls containing original Egyptian works. The Museo Pio-Clementino hosts the Apollo Belvedere and the Laoocon. The Museo Gregoriano etrusco holds Stanze and Loggia by Raphael. The Borgia Apartment hosts Pinturicchio’s renowned fresco. Then there are, of course, the well-known Sistine Chapel; the gallery of Maps, Tapestries, and Candelabra; and Biblioteca Vaticana. Other famous pieces are the Chiaramonti Niobid at the Museo Gregoriano Profano; the Marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxana fresco at the Sala delle Nozze Aldobrandini; the history of Roman Catholic missions featured at the Museo Missionario Etnologico; and the antique carriages, arms, and uniforms of the former military corps of the Vatican hosted at the Museo Storico.
About the Author: Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing Rome apartments rentals & Vacation rentals apartments.
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Print Article | Download PDF | 10 views | Jul 16 2008
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