Just off Camp de Fiori in the heart Rome an enchanting Renaissance palace designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger between 1516 and 1523 houses the little known Barracco Museum and its fine collection of priceless ancient sculptures.
The Museo Barracco located in the Farnesina Palace on the Street of the trunk makers features a prestigious collection of sculptures and art from ancient civilizations including Assyrian, Egyptian, Cypriot, Phoenician, Etruscan, Greek and Roman works, which Giovanni Barracco, a rich Italian nobleman, donated to the Municipality of Rome in 1904.
The Barracco museum hosts over 400 artworks, all very attractive, and makes a great half day tour in Rome just off the beaten path right between Campo dè Fiori and Navona square! The Barracco Museum due to its size and location offers families with kids and teens an alternative to bigger museums in Rome while providing an excellent introduction to Egyptian, Greek and Roman art and history.
The course of the Rome museum visit begins with the Egyptian art, followed by the Mesopotamian, Cypriot and Etruscan art, ending with the Greek-Roman art, including Greek originals from the 5th Century BC, Roman remakes of Greek originals and Roman Art.
The Greek collection at the Barracco museum provides an in-depth overview of the great sculptor Polyclitus and his school. Roman art is represented by the head of a boy from the Julian family, an elegant example of private portraiture from the early imperial era (First Century AD).
This historical journey through the evolution of ancient sculpture, which Baron Barracco called in one of his writings “the mother of all arts”, ends with a polychrome mosaic of the Church of Rome, the famous Ecclesia Romana, from the ancient Basilica of St. Peter in Rome.
INFO:
Corso Vittorio Emanuele 166/A – 00186 Roma
Opening hours Tuesday-sunday 9.00am-7.00pm; 24th and 31st of December 9.00am-2.00pm (the ticket office closes an hour in advance)
Closed Monday, 1st January, 1st May and 25th December
What’s Nearby for Foodies:
Roscioli Restaurant & Deli | Via dei Giubbonari
Enoteca Corsi | Via del Gesu’ 87 | Tel. 066 790821
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Ciao from Rome:-)
Nancy Aiello
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Since 1997 Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in personalized private guided Vatican, Rome & Italy Tours for Leisure & Business Travelers including Barracco Museum family friendly Rome tours.
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A short stroll from Campo dei Fiori Market: The Barracco museum an off the beaten track attraction in Rome.






