National Roman Museum

The National Roman Museum, established in 1889, comprises four sites in Rome: the Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo Massimo, Palazzo Altemps, and Crypta Balbi. It houses one of the world’s most significant archaeological collections, showcasing artifacts from ancient Rome, including sculptures, frescoes, and mosaics. Each site offers a unique perspective on Roman history and art, providing visitors with a comprehensive understanding of Rome’s ancient heritage.

Planning your visit

The National Roman Museum is not one museum but four sites, and knowing that before booking prevents confusion. Palazzo Massimo holds the finest material: Roman sculpture including the Boxer at Rest, a bronze of extraordinary psychological force, and on the top floor the frescoes from the Villa of Livia — a painted garden covering all four walls of a subterranean room, birds and fruit trees rendered with a delicacy that reorders assumptions about Roman painting. Mosaics and one of the world's great coin collections complete it.

The Baths of Diocletian occupy the largest imperial baths ever built, partly converted by Michelangelo into a church. Palazzo Altemps holds Renaissance-collected antiquities in a frescoed palace, including the Ludovisi Throne. Crypta Balbi is the most unusual: an excavation of one city block showing continuous occupation from antiquity through the medieval period to the present, which is effectively a lesson in how cities accumulate.

A combined ticket covers all four across several days, which is far better value than single entries.

Bookable options include entry and reserved entrance tickets. Palazzo Massimo is the one to prioritise if time is short, and it is remarkably quiet given its quality. Current availability is shown below.