Palazzo Massimo: frescoes and statues of the National Roman Museum

Updated on October 1, 2026

Palazzo Massimo, on largo di Villa Peretti, a short walk from Termini station, is one of the sites of the National Roman Museum, devoted to the art of ancient Rome. Over four levels it shows portraits, statues and sarcophagi, then, on the second floor, frescoes, stuccoes and mosaics removed from Roman villas, and in the basement a large collection of coins and jewellery. The €15 single ticket, valid for 7 days, gives one entry to each of the museum's sites: Palazzo Massimo, the Baths of Diocletian, Palazzo Altemps and the Crypta Balbi (prices checked in October 2026). Allow two to three hours for Palazzo Massimo.

Highlights

The painted garden from the Villa of Livia

On the second floor, a room recreates the half-underground chamber of the villa of Livia, wife of Augustus, at Prima Porta: its four walls are covered with a painted garden of fruit trees, flowers and birds, with no architecture or figures. This fresco from the 1st century BC is one of the best-preserved ensembles of Roman painting.

The paintings from the Villa della Farnesina

Discovered on the banks of the Tiber, in Trastevere, these wall paintings and stuccoes from a wealthy house of the time of Augustus fill several rooms on the same floor, with their red, black and white backgrounds.

The Boxer at Rest

This Greek bronze from the Hellenistic period, discovered on the Quirinal in 1885, shows a seated boxer, his face marked by blows and his hands still wrapped in leather thongs. It is displayed near the Hellenistic Prince, another large bronze found at the same spot.

The Lancellotti Discobolus

A Roman marble copy of the famous discus thrower by the Greek sculptor Myron, it is shown on the upper floors with other statues that adorned the villas and gardens of wealthy Romans, including the Wounded Niobid.

The Coin Collection

In the basement, a strongroom displays coins, medals and jewellery from antiquity to modern times. A quick stop, but a good way to see the faces of the emperors on the coins of their day.

Infos pratiques

Tips

The single ticket costs €15 full price and €2 reduced, and gives one entry per site for 7 days from the first visit; the MNR card at €30 (€20 reduced) allows unlimited entry for a year (prices checked in October 2026). Tickets are non-refundable. Entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, as in all Italian State museums. In October 2026 the Crypta Balbi is temporarily closed, as are several rooms of the Baths of Diocletian: check the official website before counting on the full visit.

How to get there

Largo di Villa Peretti 2, 00185 Rome. Metro Termini (lines A and B), exit on the Piazza dei Cinquecento side; the palace stands on the corner of the square, a few minutes' walk away. The Baths of Diocletian are opposite, at viale Enrico de Nicola 78.