Capitoline Hill and Museums (Campidoglio e Musei Capitolini)

The Capitoline Museums, established in 1471 by Pope Sixtus IV and opened to the public in 1734, house collections spread between the three palazzi linked by an underground gallery and Palazzo Caffarelli-Clementino, just off the piazza. Take a private tour led by an expert guide who concentrates on the highlights for a smooth visit. Expect long lines at Rome’s most important museum sites; prebook a group tour to skip the line.

• There are two separate entrances for visitors with limited mobility, available on request.

• Book a private tour guide to avoid the long lines.

• Strollers are allowed in the museum, but large bags and backpacks must be checked in the free cloakroom.

• The museum has a rooftop café with a beautiful view over Rome.

The main entrance to the Capitoline Museums is through Palazzo dei Conservatori in Piazza del Campidoglio, located behind the famous Vittoriano monument in Piazza Venezia. There are a number of bus and tram lines that stop in Piazza Venezia, or you can take the metro to the Colosseo stop and walk about 10 minutes to Piazza del Campidoglio.

The Capitoline Museums are open daily, 9:30am–7:30pm, with last admission one hour before closing. Like most of Rome's most famous repositories of art, the site is crowded year-round, though numbers peak in summer and for special exhibitions. The best time to visit is first thing in the morning, or in quieter winter.

A number of important works of art are housed in the Capitoline Museums' collections, including the Capitoline Wolf, a bronze statue of Romulus and Remus suckling a she-wolf, and The Dying Gaul, an ancient Roman sculpture of a dying soldier. There are also masterpieces by Caravaggio, Titian, Pietro da Cortona, and Guercino.