Palazzo delle Esposizioni

Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo

LoginSave

This huge neoclassical palace was built in 1882 as an exhibition centre, though it has since served as headquarters for the Italian Communist Party, a mess hall for Allied servicemen, a polling station and even a public loo. Nowadays it's a splendid cultural hub, with cathedral-scale exhibition spaces hosting blockbuster art exhibitions and sleekly designed art labs, as well as an upmarket restaurant serving dinner and a bargain-priced weekday lunch or weekend brunch buffet beneath a dazzling all-glass roof.

Occasional concerts, performances and film screenings are also held here.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Rome Lazio Italy. The Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Raphael rooms frescoes

    Vatican Museums

    1.92 MILES

    Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and enlarged by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums boast one of the world's greatest art…

  • Inside the Colosseum, an amphitheater located in Ancient Rome. 614830518 Lazio, Color Image, Travel Destinations, Horizontal, Panoramic, Famous Place, Photography, Amphitheater, Rome - Italy, Italy, Capital Cities, Roman, Coliseum - Rome, Europe, Monument, Old Ruin, Built Structure, Indoors, Ruin, Innovation, Rome

    Colosseum

    0.63 MILES

    Everyone wants to see the Colosseum, and it doesn’t disappoint, especially if accompanied by tales of armored gladiators and hungry lions. More than any…

  • Basilica di San Pietro. Rome. Italy. 160245212 ancient, architecture, basilica, building, capital, cathedral, catholic, church, city, day, dome, egyptian, europe, exterior, facade, famous, front, heritage, historical, history, italian, italy, landmark, monument, obelisk, old, outdoor, peter, piazza, religion, roma, roman, rome, saint, san pietro, sightseeing, sky, square, st peter, street, touristic, travel, urban, vatican, view

    St Peter's Basilica

    1.88 MILES

    In the city of outstanding churches, none can hold a candle to St Peter's, Italy’s largest, richest and most spectacular basilica. Built atop a 4th…

  • 568886113 2015; Ancient History; Ancient Rome; Archaeology; Architecture; Capital Cities; City; Copy Space; Day; High Angle View; International Landmark; Italian Culture; Italy; Lazio; Majestic; No People; Old Ruin; Outdoors; Photography; Roman; Roman Forum; Rome; Rome - Italy; Scenics - Nature; Temple - Building; Temple Of Saturn; The Past; Tourism; Travel Destinations; Vertical; The temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum, Rome, Lazio.

    Roman Forum

    0.56 MILES

    An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece center, a grandiose district of temples...

  • Farnese Gardens built a top Domus Tiberiana on Palatine Hill at the Roman forum in Rome, Italy.

    Palatino

    0.75 MILES

    Sandwiched between the Roman Forum and the Circo Massimo, the Palatino (Palatine Hill) is one of Rome's most spectacular sights. It's a beautiful,…

  • OCTOBER 3, 2012: Antique marble busts inside the Capitoline Museum. 311817245 hill, italian, nobody, rome, national, sculpture, capitol, italy, travel, statue, european, destinations, culture, landmark, attraction, details, old, roman, historic, figure, famous, interior, inside, classic, exhibit, tourism, art, roma, antique, ancient, indoor, vacation, capitoline, europe, museum, close-up, luxury, human, man, nice, tourist, many, lot, history, stone, marble, head, fine, hellenistic

    Capitoline Museums

    0.58 MILES

    Dating from 1471, the Capitoline Museums are the world's oldest public museums, with a fine collection of classical sculpture.

  • The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved and influential building of ancient Rome. It is a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome.

    Pantheon

    0.7 MILES

    With its revolutionary design, this awe-inspiring temple has served as an architectural blueprint for millennia.

  • Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy

    Piazza Navona

    0.9 MILES

    With its showy fountains, baroque palazzi and colorful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase…

View more attractions

Nearby Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo attractions

1. Chiesa di Sant’Andrea al Quirinale

0.12 MILES

It’s said that in his old age Bernini liked to come and enjoy the peace of this late-17th-century church, regarded by many as one of his greatest. Faced…

2. Palazzo del Quirinale

0.16 MILES

Perched atop the Quirinale Hill, one of Rome's seven hills, this former papal summer residence has been home to the Italian head of state since 1948…

4. Villa Aldobrandini

0.2 MILES

If you’re in need of a breather around Via Nazionale or are in search of somewhere for a picnic, follow Via Mazzarino off the main road and walk up the…

5. Piazza del Quirinale

0.21 MILES

A wonderful spot to enjoy a glowing Roman sunset, this piazza, which is dominated by the imposing presidential palace of Palazzo del Quirinale, marks the…

6. Scuderie al Quirinale

0.21 MILES

The Palazzo del Quirinale’s former stables, formally known as the Scuderie Papali al Quirinale, have been turned into a magnificent exhibition space that…

7. Chiesa di San Paolo entro le Mura

0.23 MILES

With its stripy neo-Gothic exterior, Rome’s American Episcopal church is decorated with some unusual 19th-century mosaics designed by the Birmingham-born…

8. Basilica di Santa Pudenziana

0.27 MILES

The church of Rome’s Filipino community contains a sparkling 4th-century apse mosaic, the oldest of its kind in the city. An enthroned Christ is flanked…