Rome: The Capitoline Museums

Part two of day one in Rome was spent in the Capitoline Museums which are the world's oldest national museums dating back to 1471. The museums are located on Capitoline Hill, overlooking the Roman Forum on the opposite end from the Colosseum. The majority of the exhibits are sculptures, with a few art galleries sprinkled in. The most famous exhibit is the "She Wolf" which is the major symbol of Rome.

In Roman mythology, a she-wolf sheltered and nursed abandoned twins, Romulus and Remus, caring for them in her den, until they were discovered by a shepherd. Romulus would later become the founder of Rome, as well as its first king.

 

There was SO much to see in these museums. We spent several hours inside and walked through each and every exhibit and saw many historical and mythological characters portrayed through sculpture.

Toward the end of our time in the museums, we came out onto a balcony overlooking the Roman Forum, and it was one of my favorite moments of our entire trip. I just absolutely loved seeing this ancient gathering place lit up against the night sky.

 

Equally as beautiful was the front of the museum when we finally exited the building.

Walking back to our hotel, we passed this Christmas tree which kind of brought us back to the reality that the next day was Christmas Eve, and a big adventure awaited us in the morning!