Museo di Roma

The Museo di Roma, founded in 1930, has been housed since 1952 in Palazzo Braschi, near Piazza Navona. The building was built in the late 18th century for Luigi Braschi Onesti, nephew of Pope Pius VI. The neo-Renaissance architecture, rich in decorations inspired by classical models, culminates in the monumental staircase completed by Giuseppe Valadier. The museum's collections illustrate the history of Rome and the culture of the city between the 16th and 20th centuries and consist of paintings, frescoes, sculptures, watercolours, engravings and old photographs. The museum tour presents paintings from the time of Pius VI (1775-1799) and a gallery containing painted and sculpted portraits of characters from the papal court. Paintings by Italian and foreigners working in Rome in the 18th century – Pompeo Batoni, Joshua Reynolds, Pierre Subleyras – illustrate the European and cosmopolitan culture of the city. A section of views between the 18th and 19th centuries culminates in the Roman views of Ippolito Caffi. Paintings, sculptures and frescoes from the homes of some aristocratic Roman families – Barberini, Rospigliosi, Torlonia and Brancaccio – evoke the flavour, the daily life and times of celebration from different historical periods. A selection from the huge collection of graphics and photographs is displayed in rotation in special rooms on the ground floor.