Capitoline Museum in Rome: history, exhibits, opening hours

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Rome is one of the most famous places in the world. You can understand this ancient city and admire its former glory by visiting the Capitoline Museum. It consists of three palaces with objects of ancient art exhibited in them: sculptures, ceramics and paintings.

The article tells about the history of the museum, gives a description of the palaces and expositions. It also provides information related to the conduct of excursions and the purchase of tickets.

On the threshold of the museum

The excursion program starts from the Cordonata staircase, which leads to the Capitol Hill. Climbing the gentle steps, you can see ancient sculptures. The legendary Castor and Polux, the sons of Zeus, rise on the balustrade. These statues were found in 1583 during the excavation of the theater in Pompeii.

The Capitol Square in front of the museum deserves special attention. Due to the fact that it is covered with elliptical patterns, it seems that it is much more spacious than it really is. in the middlerises a copy of the sculpture of Marcus Aurelius. The original, created in 160-180, is in one of the halls of the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Capitol Palaces

As mentioned above, the museum consists of three palaces surrounding Piazza del Campidoglio. The buildings are interconnected by underground passages and galleries.

In the center of the square is the Palace of the Senators, which was built in the 12th century and subsequently reconstructed according to the design of Michelangelo. On the right is the Palazzo dei Conservatori or the Palace of the Conservators, which arose in the 16th century. On the left side is the Palazzo Nuovo, or New Palace, designed in the likeness of the Palazzo Conservatorios.

The entire museum complex was designed by Michelangelo between 1535 and 1546. However, Michelangelo was not destined to see the final embodiment of his project. The design of Capitol Hill as we see it today was only completed in 1940 by order of Mussolini.

Long way

The history of the museum begins in 1471. It was then that the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Sixtus IV, handed over to the people a unique collection of bronze sculptures that were in his personal collection. In 1743, Pope Clement XII gave the order to open a museum that was destined to become the first public gallery in the world.

The Capitoline Museum has been updated annually with a large number of new exhibits and artifacts. All of them were found during archaeological excavations in Italy.

Today there are more than 400ancient Roman statues and other finds, the value of which cannot be described in words. The exhibition of the Capitoline Museum is one of the largest in the world and attracts a large number of tourists every year.

Exposure

Currently, the Palace of the Senators is the city hall of Rome. Only the lower floor is reserved for the exposition of the museum. The main exhibitions are located in the Palace of the Conservatives and in the New Palace.

The Palace of the Senators stands out with a solemn facade. In a niche under the stairs, museum visitors can see the statue of "Joying Rome", on both sides of which there are allegorical images of the Tiber and the Nile.

The tour starts from the courtyard, where the remains of a giant statue of Emperor Constantine are located. In ancient times, the monument was a construction of wooden beams covered with toga. Marble was only the head, arms and legs, which have survived to this day. The statue had a rather impressive size - 12 meters in height. The surviving parts are exhibited separately in the courtyard. So, the foot of Emperor Constantine is 2 meters long and 1.5 meters high. In addition, tourists can see the head of the statue, its biceps and hand (the so-called "pointing finger").

The New Palace features a huge number of bronze statues. A copy of the "dying Gaul" stands out in particular. Every detail, facial expression, pose in which the warrior froze - everything creates the illusion that there is a living person in front of you.

In the exposition of the Capitoline Museum you can seeoriginal statue of Marcus Aurelius. It is noteworthy that this is the only sculpture made of bronze that survived the dark Middle Ages and has survived unchanged to this day.

In the same palace is the famous gallery of emperors, where busts of Roman rulers, who played a huge role in the development of the country, are exhibited.

In the Palace of the Conservatives are the most ancient artifacts. It is here that you can see the legendary Capitoline she-wolf, who nursed Romulus and Remus with her milk, the brothers who, according to legend, founded Rome. Today this sculpture is known all over the world. The Capitoline Wolf is considered a symbol of the Eternal City.

Here you can see the equally famous sculpture of the 1st century BC. e. – “Boy pulling a splinter.”

On the second floor of the Palace of the Conservatives there is an art gallery - a real treasure of the Capital Museum. It exhibits works by Rubens, Titian, Velazquez and the great Caravaggio.

On the third floor of the Palace, an exhibition of coins and jewelry is open for visitors. To see her, collectors and connoisseurs from all over the world seek to get into the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Organized excursions

In order to learn as much as possible about the exhibits, it is recommended to use the services of a qualified guide. The museum organizes tours in several languages, including Russian. Those who do not want to move around Capitol Hill as part of a tour group can rent an audio guide with headphones, whichtalk about each exhibit. The best option is an individual tour in Rome in Russian with a personal guide. He will guide you through all the expositions, tell you a lot of interesting information and answer all your questions.

For blind people, the museum complex organizes special programs that allow you to “see” the sculptures by touching them with gloved hands. This practice has been introduced relatively recently. Tours for people with disabilities are designed to give a chance to enjoy art to everyone without exception.

Work Schedule

Museum is open daily from 9:30 to 19:30. Its visit is an obligatory part of getting to know Rome. As a result, there are very long queues at the box office. Tourists are advised to buy tickets in advance via the Internet or use the services of the organizers of excursions in Rome in Russian, who take care of getting into the halls of the museum. Tourists only need to arrive at the indicated time at the place of gathering of the group.

Tour price

Ticket price is 12 euros (960 rubles). However, due to the fact that some additional exhibitions are very often organized in the halls of the museum, the cost of the entrance ticket may be slightly higher.

Everyone can buy beautiful books by Muse Capitolini, which contains photos and descriptions of exhibits and museum halls.