Part V: Mediterranean Europe in .NET

Printer ANSI/AIM Code 128 in .NET Part V: Mediterranean Europe

810, or 850 Admission: Forum, free; Palatine Hill, 8 ($920), which includes admission to the Colosseum (see listing earlier in this section) Open: Daily 9 am to 1 hour before sunset (generally 7:15 pm in summer, 4:30 pm in winter)

My choice for the finest small museum in the world goes to this collection This frescoed early-17th-century villa contains the finest marble sculptures the baroque period has to offer See masterpieces by the rococo genius Gianlorenzo Bernini, including his Aeneas and Anchises (which he finished when he was only 15), Hades and Persephone, Apollo and Daphne, and the vibrant David which serves as the baroque response to Michelangelo s Renaissance creation in Florence The Renaissance David is contemplative, all about proportion and philosophy This baroque David is all action, with a twisting body about to let a stone fly from his sling While you re on the ground floor, be sure to see the room with six Caravaggio paintings The second floor houses the rest of the painting collection, with works by Andrea del Sarto, Titian, Corregio, and a large masterpiece by a young Raphael, The Deposition The new mandatory ticket reservations policy is annoying, but in summer especially, the museum can sell out days sometimes even weeks ahead of time, so book well ahead of your visit to ensure you get the entry time you want You must pick up your tickets a half-hour prior to the entry time or risk losing the reservation The price listed here includes the required 2 ($ 230) reservations fee Audioguides are available for rent (5 /$575) See map p 394 In the northeast corner of Villa Borghese Park, off Via Pinciana % 06-841-7645 (information); % 06-32-810 (mandatory reservations) or www ticketeriait Metro: Spagna Bus: M, 52, 53, 63, 86, 88, 92, 95, 116, 116T, 204, 217, 360, 490, 491, 495, 630, 910 Admission: 850 ($980), free 17 and under and over 65 Open: Summer Tues Sat 9 am 10 pm, Sun 9 am 8 pm; winter Tues Sun 9 am 7 pm

Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums)

On the Piazza del Campidoglio, behind Piazza Venezia s Vittorio Emanuele monument, a reproduction bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius stands proud and almost seems to bless Rome and the two nearby musuems To the left of the statue is the Palazzo Nuovo, housing ancient sculpture, such as busts of philosophers past If your trip allows you time for just one museum, make your stop the Palazzo dei Conservatori Its entrance courtyard brims with oversized marble body parts a head, hands, foot, arm, and kneecap from what was once a 40-foot-tall statue of Constantine II The in-house collection includes the first-century AD Spinario, a little bronze child plucking a thorn from his foot, and the Etruscan bronze She-Wolf, crafted in the late sixth century BC (the suckling toddlers were added in the 16th century)

But the real gems of the museum are its paintings wonderful works by Guercino, Titian, Veronese, Pietro da Cortona, Rubens, and two by Caravaggio: the Gypsy Fortune Teller and the surpringly sensual St John the Baptist The two wings of the mueum are now connected by an undergound passage that affords views out over the Roman Forum, but for really great Forum vistas, make sure you stop by the cafe with its roof terrace See map p 394 Piazza del Campidoglio 1 (behind Piazza Venezia s Vittorio Emanuele monument) % 06-6710-2475; wwwmuseicapitoliniorg Reservations: % 063996-7700 or wwwpierreciit Bus: H, 30, 40, 44, 46, 62, 63, 70, 75, 81, 84, 87, 95, 160, 170, 271, 204, 271, 628, 630, 715, 716, 780, 781, 810, or 916 Museum admission: 620 ($715); exhibition only: 420 ($485) Open: Tues Sun 9 am 8 pm (in summer may stay open to 9 pm; call ahead) Last admission 1 hour before close

Museo Nazionale Romano (National Roman Museum)

In 1998, Rome took what was once a single museum one that languished for decades in a quasi-mythical state inside the eternally closed Baths of Diocletian and split it up across the city in four incredible Museo Nazionale Romano collections, together boasting the best ancient Roman statuary, mosaics, and frescoes you can possibly see, a where-have-youbeen-all-my-life experience for antiquities buffs The Ludovisi, Mattei, and Altemps Collections of Classical statuary are now displayed in the 16th- to 18th-century Palazzo Altemps near Piazza Navona (Piazza di Sant Apollinare 44; % 06-683-3759), itself a gorgeous space, with a grand central courtyard and many original frescoed and painted wood ceilings More statues, plus exquisite ancient Roman mosaics, bronzes, incredible frescoes, coins, and jewelry, are packed into the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme near Termini train station (Largo di Villa Peretti 1, where Piazza del Cinquecento meets Via Viminale; % 06-4890-3500) Bathhouse art and colossal statuary fill the echoey ancient brick chamber of the Aula Ottagona, an original part of Diocletian s baths just off Piazza della Repubblica (Via G Romita 3; % 06-488-0530), and they are also putting the finishing touches on a collection installed in the original Baths of Diocletian space (Via E De Nicola 78; call Aula Ottagona for info) with its massive cloisters designed by Michelangelo See map p 394 For addresses and phone numbers, see the preceding text; www archeormartibeniculturaliit For reservations % 06-3996-7400, 063996-7700, or wwwpierreciit Metro: Termini or Repubblica for all but Palazzo Altemps Bus: For all but Palazzo Altemps, take any bus to Termini; for Palazzo Altemps, by bus: 30, 70, 81, 87, 116, 116T, 186, 492, or 628 Admission included with 9 ($10) Museum Card (see the tips under Exploring Rome, earlier in this chapter) Individual admission: Palazzo Altemps, 5 ($575) adults, free 17 and under and over 60; Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, 6 ($690); Aula Ottagona, free Open: Palazzo Altemps, Tues Sun 9 am 7:45 pm (last admission 1 hour before close); Palazzo