National Roman Museum – Palazzo Massimo

National Roman Museum – Palazzo Massimo

Neo-Renaissance palace with a classical art collection including sculptures, mosaics & gold jewelry. This 19th-century palazzo – formerly a Jesuit school – houses another of Rome’s truly superlative collections of classical art. Roman and Greek sculptural masterpieces on the ground and first floors include a fine Discus Thrower and Augustus as High Priest. There’s also a rare Roman (rather than Egyptian) mummy from Grottarossa, in Rome’s northern periphery. The ancient Romans were fascinated by all things Egyptian, but though they imported obelisks and pyramids (there’s one still standing in the Testaccio district) they didn’t go in for embalming. The one exception – known as the Mummy of Grottarossa – is here. But it is the second-floor reconstructions of rooms from luxurious ancient houses, complete with brightly-coloured wall decoration, that is this museum’s real high point. The leafy, plant-and-bird-filled triclinium (dining room) from Livia’s villa north of Rome is spectacular. The ticket includes entrance to Crypta Balbi, Palazzo Altemps and the Baths of Diocletian.