9 Must See Museums in Italy

Italy has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. The following museums in Italy will astound you, and you’ll enjoy a deeper knowledge of this beautiful country by visiting them.

1. Vatican Museum – Vatican City

This is the must-see museum. This conglomerate of galleries hosts some of the greatest collection of artworks in the world. This Museum was founded by Pope Julius II in XVI. Visitors can admire Michelangelo’s  masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s paintings in the pope rooms.

2. Uffizi Gallery – Florence

The Uffizi is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. The Uffizi core collection gathers artworks owned by the Medici family, which has been enriched by other donations and exchanges over the time. The Gallery is divided into different areas organized by epoch and style. It contains artwork from the 12^th to the 18^th century, including the greatest collection of Renaissance artworks in the world.  In the Uffizi Gallery visitors will have the possibility to admire artworks like Giotto’s Ognissanti Madonna, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Da Vinci’s Annunciation, Titian’s Venus of Urbino, Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, and Caravaggio’s Medusa, among many, many others.

3. Pompeii ruins – Pompeii

The Pompeii ruins constitute an astonishing outdoor museum which contains the remains of the ancient city of Pompeii which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Pompeii has been a UNESCO world heritage site, along with along with Herculaneum and Oplontis, since 1997.

4. The Egyptian Museum – Turin

The Egyptian Museum of Turin was founded in 1824 by King Carlo Felice who had a collection of 5,628 Egyptian artifacts. Today it contains over 30,000 Egyptian artifacts including the Temple of Tuthmosi III, sarcophagi, mummies and books of the dead originally belonging to the Drovetti Collection, and the Turin King List.  It is in the beautiful building of the Academy of Sciences and after Cairo’s, is considered the second most important Egyptian museum in the world.

5. Doge’s Palace – Venice

The Doge’s Palace of Venice is a symbol of this beautiful city and it is a masterpiece of Gothic style. It is located in the historic Piazza San Marco, and it used to be the residence of the Venetian Doge, or  the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. Today, this beautiful palace hosts the Museo dell’Opera, the Doge’s apartments, the institutional chambers, and the old prison, Piombi.

6. Musei Capitolini – Rome

The Capitoline museums are considered the oldest national museums, as they are supposedly the first place art was made available to the public. The Capitoline Museums are located atop the Capitoline Hill in the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo in the beautiful Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo.

7. Reggia di Caserta

This magnificent Royal Palace was originally the residence of the Bourbon royal family of Naples and is listed among UNESCO world heritage sites.
The Palace is surrounded by a beautiful English garden characterized by a huge fountain called the “Grande Cascata” (great waterfall). The whole palace itself is a museum, and inside it you will find marvelous paintings, statues and fine furniture.

8. Museo Archeologico Nazionale – Naples

The National Archaeological Museum contains one of the greatest collections of artifacts of the roman epoch. The museum was founded in 1750 by Charles III of Spain and is located in a beautiful 14th century building. The core collection of the museum includes artifacts like Herculaneum papyrus, papyrus carbonized after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

9. Parco Archeologico e Paesaggistico “Valle dei Templi” –  Agrigento

“The Valley of Temples” is an outdoor museum and one of the largest archeological sites in Italy. It contains Ancient Greek art and architecture such as the Temple of Juno and the Temple of Concordia built in the 5th B.C. The Valley includes many other temples, such as the temples of Heracles, Olympian Zeus, Vulcan and Asclepius.

These are only a few of the numerous Italian museums and archaeological sites that contain priceless insights into history.