Explore the Capitoline Museums and visit the 13th-century Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli on our skip-the-line guided tour.

The history of the museum begins in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of bronze statues of great symbolic value to the Roman people. Today, it is one of the most visited museums in Rome which you cannot miss.

Your tour will start with the visit to Palazzo dei Conservatori which holds a large collection of Classic Roman art and Italian paintings from Renaissance and Baroque periods. Your guide will show you unique ancient artworks such as the symbol of Rome “she-wolf”, the statue of Emperor Constantine, the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, and many others. You will then explore the Capitoline Art Gallery with the oldest public collection of paintings in Italy, which includes masterpieces by Caravaggio, Rubens, Tiziano, Van Dyck, and other famous artists.

After visiting the museum, you will see the Basilica of Santa Maria in Ara Coeli, located south of Capitoline Hill. This medieval church was built over the ancient Roman temple of Juno Moneta which dates back to the 4th century BC. Now it houses treasurers from different periods of art from the Byzantine Empire to the Baroque. Our guide will provide you with the historical background of this sacred building and introduce you to its famous artwork — Santo Bambino of Aracoelian, a copy of a wooden figure of the child Jesus, which is believed to be miraculous.