Hi friends, welcome back to my Italy series! On our second full day in Rome, we had an unanticipated free morning because our Colosseum tour got rescheduled for the afternoon. Some people would use this extra time to sleep in and maybe enjoy a relaxing breakfast, but not me. We decided to spend our morning at the Capitoline Museum because it was on the way to the Colosseum and on my list if we had extra time. On our way we passed by the Victor Emmanuel Monument. It’s hard to miss and located next to Piazza del Campidoglio. It’s named after Italy’s first king and was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Italy’s unification in 1861. The base of the monument has Italy’s’ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and soldiers guard the eternal flame. Inside the building is a museum and you can also pay to visit the rooftop terrace for incredible views. We didn’t make it up, but it’s on the list for next time.
Capitoline Museum is located in the famous Piazza del Campidoglio and we walked through it when we visited the Santa Maria in Aracoeli Church. This square was designed by Michelangelo and is one of Rome’s seven hills. In fact, it’s the tallest but smallest hill and overlooks the Roman Forum. It used to be home to the Temple of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva but now it’s home to Rome’s oldest museum and the mayoral palace. The statue in the middle of the piazza is a copy of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The original is inside the museum for preservation.
The museum is split into two buildings that connect underground. Most of the important pieces are in the building on the right where the entrance is. Upon entering the museum (we had no issue buying tickets onsite), the courtyard is full of pieces of a massive Constantine statue that used to be at the entrance of the Basilica of Constantine in the Forum. When the statue is intact it reaches 30 feet tall.
Some notable pieces inside the museum:
Boy Extracting a Thorn by Spinario
The original Emperor Marcus Aurelius statue.
Brutus – the glass eyes are pretty freaky, but they must be that way in order to assassinate Caesar.
Capitoline She-Wolf – represents the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus
Medusa by Bernini
Commodus as Hercules from the second century– Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, but he was a hated emperor. He wanted to be a gladiator and would fight, but nobody was allowed to kill him.
Capitoline Venus
There’s a lot to see in the Capitoline Museum. Jon and I spent more time here than I thought, and we would’ve stayed a tad longer if we didn’t have our Forum tour to join.
We loved the views of the Forum from the passage between the two museum buildings.
We enjoyed touring this museum, especially because it wasn’t crowded and had great views of the Forum. If you’re only in Rome a few days I don’t think it’s an absolute must to see the Capitoline Museum, but if you have extra time in your day, it’s definitely worth considering. Stay tuned for our tour of the Forum.
Posts in this series:
Florence
- Where to Stay & Eat
- Piazza Michelangelo & Ponte Vecchio
- Uffizi Gallery
- Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Accademia
- Climbing the Duomo
- Duomo Museum, Bell Tower, & Baptistry
- Palazzo Vecchio & Tuscon Wine Tour
Rome