Palazzo Massimo (National Roman Museum)

Many people going in and out of Termini walk past Palazzo Massimo without giving it a second glance, unaware that this building houses one of the most important collections of classical art in Italy. In addition to excellent temporary exhibitions, Palazzo Massimo has a permanent collection of some of the greatest Roman sculptures. One of the highlights is the bronze statue known as The Boxer at Rest, a moving portrayal of a wounded boxer resting after a particularly brutal fight. There are also famous statues of gods and emperors, as well as some elaborate marble altars and sarcophagi.
On the top floor you’ll find an impressive display of Roman frescoes and mosaics, including the famous garden frescoes that once decorated the house of a Roman empress. Livia, the wife of Augustus, had a luxurious villa with a room designed to resemble a garden, filled with birds and fruit trees. The lights slowly brighten and dim, to imitate the effects of the changing daylight, transforming the colours of the frescoes. The frescoed rooms of another Roman villa include a triclinium (dining room) with exquisitely decorated black walls, and some very ornate bedrooms. Palazzo Massimo also has an extensive collection of Roman coins, and an unsettling exhibit with a mummified child, who was discovered on the outskirts of Rome, but it’s the statues and frescoes that make this museum unmissable.

Getting there
It’s right next to Termini (train, metro and bus station).