Capitoline Museums

Opened to the public in 1734, the museum overlooks half of Rome's ancient monuments. The museum is made up of three palaces, which surround the Piazza del Campidoglio. The square was designed by Michelangelo in 1536 and is considered the world's first museum. The steps are decorated with several sculptures: at the bottom are two lion statues, in the middle is the statue of Cola di Rienzo, and at the top are the statues of the twins Castor and Pollux, taken from the Temple of Castor and Pollux. The two marble statues, I Trofei di Mario, were taken from Piazza Vittorio. Recommended: Palazzo dei Conservatori Mainly houses sculptures from Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Egypt, which completely outshine the ancient sculptures of many other museums. Recommended: The Colossus of Constantine, the symbol of Rome, the Capitoline Wolf, Bernini's Medusa, and the Marforio fountain. The movie poster for The Great Beauty was shot here.