Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Piazza della Repubblica
( Repubblica)
Flanked by grand neoclassical colonnades, this landmark piazza was laid
out as part of Rome's 19th-century post-unification makeover. It follows the lines of the
semicircular
exedra
(benched portico) of Diocletian's baths complex and was originally
known as Piazza Esedra.
PIAZZA
Museo Nazionale Romano:
Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
MUSEUM
( 06 3996 7700;
www.coopculture.it
;
Largo di Villa Peretti 1; adult/reduced €7/3.50; 9am-7.45pm
Tue-Sun; Termini)
One of Rome's great unsung heroes, this fabulous museum is a treas-
ure trove of classical art and sculpture. The ground and 1st floors are devoted to sculpture,
with some breathtaking pieces. These include the 2nd-century BC Greek bronze, the
Pu-
gile
(Boxer), a crouching Aphrodite from Villa Adriana, the graceful 2nd-century BC
Ermafrodite dormiente
(Sleeping Hermaphrodite), and the idealised
Il discobolo
(Discus
Thrower).
However, it's the rich, vivid frescoes on the 2nd floor that are the undoubted highlight.
These vibrantly coloured panels illustrate a range of natural, mythological, domestic and
erotic themes, as appropriate to the rooms they were originally placed in. There are intim-
ate cubicula (bedroom) frescoes featuring religious, erotic and theatrical subjects, and del-
icate landscape paintings from the triclinium (dining room). Particularly breathtaking are
the frescoes (dating from 30 BC to 20 BC) from Villa Livia, one of the homes of Augus-
tus' wife Livia Drusilla. These cover an entire room and depict a paradisiacal garden full
of roses, pomegranates, irises and camomile under a deep-blue sky. They once decorated a
summer triclinium, a large living and dining area that had been built half underground to
provide protection from the heat.
There are also some exquisitely fine mosaics and rare inlay work on this floor.
In the basement, the unexciting sounding coin collection is far more absorbing than you
might expect, tracing the Roman Empire's propaganda offensive through its coins. There's
also jewellery dating back several millennia, and the disturbing remains of a mummified
eight-year-old girl.
Museo Nazionale Romano:
Terme di Diocleziano
MUSEUM
