Capitoline Museums at Centrale Montemartini

Lonely Planet review

This modern outpost of the Capitoline Museums is a treat. Housed in a former power station, it has an industrial look, with classical sculpture boldly juxtaposed against diesel engines and giant furnaces. On the ground floor beyond the entrance is the Sala Colonne, where sculpture and ceramics dating from the 7th century BC are displayed. These include Etruscan and Greek pieces as well as discoveries from a necropolis on the Esquilino.

Metal stairs lead up to the Sala Macchina, where antiquities dating back to the late-Republican period share space with two mammoth 7500HP diesel engines. Of note are several Roman copies of original Greek works, including a number of statues of Athena (grouped together) and a black-basalt statue of Orantes . There are also sculptures that were found on the Campidoglio, in the Area Sacra di Largo di Torre Argentina and near the Teatro di Pompeo in the Campo de' Fiori area.

The Sala Caldaia, painted a sickly hospital green, presents the highlights of the collection set against a giant furnace. Two of the most beautiful pieces are statues of young girls: the Fanciulla Seduta sitting with her elbow resting on her knee, and Musa Polimnia leaning on a pedestal and gazing dreamily into the distance. At the far end of the room is the milky-white Venus Esquilina from the 1st century BC.