Palazzo Altemps: the ancient sculptures of the National Roman Museum

Updated on October 5, 2026

Palazzo Altemps, on Piazza di Sant'Apollinare 150 m from Piazza Navona, is the site of the National Roman Museum devoted to ancient sculpture. People come for the Ludovisi collection, assembled in the 17th century by the family of that name and bought by the Italian state in 1901. In a remarkably well-preserved Renaissance palace, with an arcaded courtyard and painted rooms, statues and portraits are displayed at eye level. The Ludovisi Throne, the Galatian Suicide and the Ludovisi Ares are its best-known pieces. The museum is open every day except Monday; it is visited with the single National Roman Museum ticket at €15 (prices checked in October 2026). Allow an hour and a half.

Highlights

The palace

Begun in the late 15th century for Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, the palace was bought in 1568 by Cardinal Marco Sittico Altemps, who had it enlarged and decorated. Its belvedere tower, its frescoed loggias and the little church of Sant'Aniceto on the courtyard are still in place. It became a museum only at the end of the 20th century, after a long restoration.

The Ludovisi Ares

This Roman copy of a Greek original shows the god of war seated, his sword at rest, with a little Eros at his feet. Found in the 17th century, it was restored at that time; tradition credits Bernini with part of the additions. It is one of the most reproduced statues in the collection.

The Ludovisi Throne

This large marble relief, dated to the 5th century BC and of Greek origin, is one of archaeology's great puzzles: it has been read as the birth of Aphrodite rising from the sea between two attendants, but also as other mythological scenes. It is displayed with the Boston Throne, its counterpart kept in the United States.

The Galatian Suicide

This marble group, a Roman copy of a bronze from Pergamon, shows a Gaulish warrior supporting his wife's body while driving his sword into his own chest to avoid capture. With the Dying Gaul in the Capitoline Museums, it belongs to a set celebrating the Pergamene kings' victory over the Gauls.

Hours and prices

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 7pm, last entry at 6pm. Closed Monday. Single National Roman Museum ticket: €15 full price, €2 reduced for European Union citizens aged 18 to 25; free for under-18s. The ticket is valid for 7 days and gives one entry to each site (Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, Baths of Diocletian, Crypta Balbi). Free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

Practical info

Tips

Palazzo Altemps combines easily with Palazzo Massimo, which shows the Roman frescoes and mosaics, thanks to the single ticket valid for 7 days; the MNR card at €30 gives unlimited entries for a year (prices checked in October 2026). The museum is quiet even in high season, away from the queues of Navona: a good break in rain or great heat. Tickets are also sold online on the Italian state museums portal. Check the official site before you go: some National Roman Museum sites have closed rooms in October 2026.

How to get there

Piazza di Sant'Apollinare 44, 00186 Rome, about 150 m from Piazza Navona, entrance on Piazza di Sant'Apollinare. No metro station nearby: Spagna (line A) is about a 20-minute walk. Buses 40, 64 and 70, stops on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II or Corso del Rinascimento, a 5-minute walk.