Palazzo Altemps

Palazzo Altemps (National Roman Museum) is a Renaissance palace built over the foundations of a medieval tower and a Roman house, making it a perfect example of Rome’s multi-layered history. You can still see the remains of the tower and some colourful paintings from the Roman house on the ground floor of the museum, but the main attraction is the remarkable sculpture collection. Greek, Roman and Egyptian statues are displayed in rooms decorated with Renaissance frescoes, which would have once been the private rooms of the aristocratic Altemps family. The stand-out piece is the Ludovisi Sarcophagus, a third century marble sarcophagus that vividly depicts a battle between Romans and Barbarians. It’s such an emotive, lively scene that you half expect the soldiers to come to life. Equally dramatic is the Ludovisi Gaul, a statue of a Gaul stabbing himself in the neck while supporting his dying wife. Like many of the statues in the museum, it was originally found on the site of the Gardens of Sallust, which once belonged to Julius Caesar, so it’s possible that Caesar himself may have commissioned these works for his private collection.

Other highlights of Palazzo Altemps include impressive statues of Roman gods and the beautiful Ludovisi Throne, with its famous portrayal of Aphrodite rising from the sea. There are also some intriguing Egyptian sculptures of gods, priests and pharaohs, including a bust dating back to 1800 BC, which means that it would have been considered ancient even by the Ancient Romans.
Getting there
It’s right next to Piazza Navona.