Exhibitions in Rome
Leggi la guida completaLooking for an exhibition in Rome? Here you'll find the ranking of the most wanted ones right now plus the full schedule of exhibitions, from museums to galleries, updated every day.
20 events in Roma
Angeli - Messaggeri, custodi e viandanti, le sublimi creature dall'Antico al Contemporaneo
Temporary exhibitions and permanent collections: two different things
In Rome it helps to keep apart two things that often get confused. Temporary exhibitions have an opening and a closing date, their own ticket and almost always a timed slot to book: they are the ones announced on big posters and, in their final weeks, the ones that fill up. Permanent collections, by contrast, are there all year and are in no hurry: the Galleria Borghese, Palazzo Barberini and the Musei Capitolini can be visited calmly at any time of year, and they often host a temporary exhibition inside their own rooms at the same time.
The distinction is also one of price and logistics. At the Galleria Borghese entry is in timed sessions with limited capacity, so booking is not a suggestion but a condition. In large exhibition venues such as the Scuderie del Quirinale or the Palazzo delle Esposizioni the exhibition is the event, and the last month is always the busiest. If you only have one evening, the sensible choice is a temporary exhibition with a timed ticket, because you know exactly when you get in.
Rome's exhibition venues, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
The historic core is in the centre: the Scuderie del Quirinale and the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, on via Nazionale, host the big monographic shows; Palazzo Barberini holds old master painting and sits a short walk from via Veneto; the Musei Capitolini, on the Campidoglio, combine a permanent collection with temporary shows; the Chiostro del Bramante, near piazza Navona, specialises in visually striking exhibitions designed for a general audience. The Galleria Borghese, inside the Villa Borghese park, is a case of its own because of its restricted capacity.
Outside the centre the key venue is MAXXI, in Flaminio, the national museum of 21st century arts: contemporary art, architecture and photography exhibitions, often paired with evening talks and events. Around these anchors there is a dense network of private galleries and foreign cultural institutes, which open free previews almost every week and appear in this list whenever they publish a date and time. For every exhibition you get the opening period and the link to the museum's official box office.