Tickets for this activity are non-refundable. If you are not satisfied with your experience, please contact us to cancel your booking.
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Visit the museum at your chosen time slot and explore Rome’s imperial and papal history at a relaxed pace. Make the most of your visit by saving 1-2 hours of exploration time by skipping the ticket queues.
To start your visit, go to the main entrance at Lungotevere Castello 50 and show your ticket at the main ticket office. Once you're checked in, you can enter and begin exploring.
Your visit begins at the spiral ramp, one of the defensive architectural features of the museum that helps access the burial chambers. These rooms, also called the Chamber of Ashes, once had urns of the remains of Roman emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius.
Walk through the fortified corridors to reach the papal apartments. These rooms are decorated with frescoes and stucco. The Sala Paolina stands out with detailed paintings by Girolamo Siciolante da Sermoneta, showing Emperor Hadrian as the founder of the mausoleum. In the Angel Courtyard (Cortile dell’Angelo), you’ll find the original marble statue of Archangel Michael by Raffaello da Montelupo.
The fortress became a prison in the 6th century. It held well-known figures like Benvenuto Cellini and Giordano Bruno. You can access the Parlatoio, a rectangular room used to torture prisoners through the Court of Alexander VI.
Reaching the rooftop you can enjoy a panoramic view of Rome and take a look at the bronze statue of Archangel Michael by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt placed in 1752.
The outer terrace and the ramparts represent the military history and role of the museum as a defensive fortress. You can take a look at the five bastions that were added to the museum during the Renaissance.