My family of four (two teen-aged boys - 12 and 15) will be in Rome for 5 days this April. I have been reading a lot about the amazing museums, and also recognize that my teenagers are not going to want to spend every minute inside them. We plan to go to the Vatican, but what else should we choose from between the Borghese Gallery, the National Museum by the train station, and the Capitol Hill museums? Although I've been reading about them in the guide books, it's really difficult to tell the differences between them. Any advice on what not to miss after we go to the Vatican?
Posted by
New York
1206 posts
I spent a week in Rome on a Rick Steves tour. Go to the Capitol Hill Museum as I think your boys will enjoy that the most. However, keep in mind that should it rain at any time during the week, go to another museum such as the National Museum so that you have something to do when it rains.
My favorite musuem there was the Borghese Galley, but you must have a reservation and you can only stay for 2 hours. It is a small museum but very strict as you must check packpacks and even pocketbooks! No cameras either! But if the boys are well behaved, it is only a 2 hour period to go thru the museum.
Going to the Vatican is the best, as their musuem is the most amazaing and you need most of day just at the Vatican! I feel that Rome's musuems are just being outside seeing the Spanish steps, Forum etc. That is the real museums. And the churches all have the great art work and is the best places to visit instead of the National Musuem and Captiol Hill. But go if it rains!
Have a great time!
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
I would say that, other than the Vatican Museums, the Borghese Gallery is the next-best place to visit - but really, it depends on your interests.
The Borghese has many well-known sculptures, as well as paintings (which honestly, I don't like as much as their sculptures). Check out the Borghese website, and see what you think.
The National Art Museum is in pieces, and in different buildings around the city. This last trip, we went to the portion that's in the Palazzo Barberini. The Palazzo is beautiful and pretty cool just by itself, if you and your kids want to see a palace. We went primarily to see the Raphael ("La Fornarina"), but enjoyed the rest of the art. Like the Borghese, it's kind of a small museum.
The National Museum of Rome, which is I think the one that you're referring to as by the train station, has a lot of ancient-Roman-era statues, which are interesting if you're interested in that sort of thing, and a number of floor mosaics taken out of ancient Roman homes. I really like mosaics, so I enjoyed the museum very much, but probably not everyone would.
Here are some churches that we really enjoyed with our 10yo daughter last fall. The good thing about churches is they're not so overwhelming as entire museums. We all love art, and I love Caravaggio's paintings, in particular:
San Clemente - Construction began on the upper church in 1108; the lower church was built in the 4th century; it was built over a Mithraic Temple from the late 2nd or early 3rd century, which is still underneath and you can visit, along with remains of a Roman house from the 1st century)
San Pietro in Vincolo (St. Peter’s in Chains) - Michelangelo’s “Moses”
Santa Maria Sopra Minerva - Michelangelo’s “Christ Carrying the Cross”
St. Ignatius - Great trompe d’oiel dome
San Agostino - Caravaggio’s “Santa Maria of Loreto”
San Luigi - three paintings by Caravaggio, about St. Matthew
Santa Cecilia (in the Trastevere area) - gorgeous sculpture of St. Cecilia