Wouldn't you know it! The pick of the three seldom-visited museums on this weed-strewn rationalist square is closed for 'renovations'. But just in case it has reopened when you visit, don't miss the stunning model of ancient Rome, an impossibly intricate and vast model of the Eternal City in 5 BC. The rest of the museum covers Rome's overall history.
Museo della Civilta Romana
Southern Rome
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.32 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…
4.14 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…
5.05 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…
4.2 MILES
An impressive – if rather confusing – sprawl of ruins, the Roman Forum was ancient Rome's showpiece center, a grandiose district of temples...
4 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,…
4.28 MILES
Dating from 1471, the Capitoline Museums are the world's oldest public museums, with a fine collection of classical sculpture.
4.66 MILES
With its revolutionary design, this awe-inspiring temple has served as an architectural blueprint for millennia.
4.66 MILES
With its showy fountains, baroque palazzi and colorful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase…
Nearby Southern Rome attractions
0.26 MILES
Rome's Congress Palace was constructed for the 1942 Universal Exposition, and hosted the fencing during the 1960 Olympics. The enormous terrace above the…
0.36 MILES
Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas’ cutting-edge Roma Convention Centre: La Nuvola (2016) – the largest building to open in Rome in half a century – is a…
0.39 MILES
This Orwellian quarter of wide boulevards and linear buildings was built for an international exhibition in 1942, and although war intervened and the…
0.39 MILES
Done up in faux-Egyptian style, this soaring central EUR obelisk was a favourite of Mussolini's. It features the usual array of buff workers beavering…
0.5 MILES
Over 5000 sea creatures, 30 tanks with more than one million gallons of water, a 360-degree glass tunnel for viewing sharks and stingrays, the list goes…
0.58 MILES
Originally titled 'Genius of Fascism' and erected on this site in 1939 as EUR was taking shape, this statue was given the flimsiest of post-war make-overs…
7. La Storia di Roma Attraverso La Costruzione
0.59 MILES
This vast relief sculpture on the side of an EUR government building tells the story of Rome as Mussolini wanted it told when it was created in 1939…
0.71 MILES
This covered stadium was built for the 1960 Olympics and still hosts sporting and entertainment events today, with a capacity of around 12,000.