Museum of Roman Civilization (Museo della Civilità Romana)

Frommer's Review

Some 5.5km (3 1/2 miles) south of the historic center of Rome is a more modern city conceived by the fascist-era dictator Mussolini. At the height of his power, he launched a complex of impersonal modern buildings, many of them in cold marble, to dazzle Europe with a scheduled world's fair in 1942 that never happened. Il Duce got strung up, and EUR -- the neighborhood in question -- got hamstrung. The new Italian government that followed inherited the unfinished project and turned it into a center of government and administration.

The most intriguing sight here is this Museum of Roman Civilization, in which are housed two fascinating scale models that reproduce Rome in two different epochs: the early Republican Rome and the city in its imperial heyday in the 4th century A.D. You'll see the then-impressive Circus Maximus, the intact Colosseum, the Baths of Diocletian -- and lots more. You can also see examples of late imperial and paleochristian art, including more than a hundred casts of the reliefs that climb Trajan's Column in the Imperial Forum.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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