via Ostiense 106 
Rome (metro B to Garbatella, exit towards via Ostiense, Bus # 23, 271, 769, 770)

Opening hours Tuesday-Sunday 9.00am-7.00pm; 24th and 31st of December 9.00am-2.00pm (the ticket office closes half an hour in advance)

Closed Monday, 25th December, 1st January, 1st May

The Centrale Montemartini museum is a memorable example of the Italian interest in ‘industrial archaeology’ – that is, relics of the industrial past. This innovative museum makes use of a defunct electrical power station to juxtapose two proud eras in Italian history – the ancient and the modern – in an exciting and dynamic way. Its permanent collection includes 400 classical statues, moved here during the reorganization of the Capitoline Museums in 1997, along with tombs, busts, and stunning mosaics from ancient Rome. 

Framing these classical works of art are the gargantuan machines once used to generate power in an expanding and quickly industrializing Rome between the 1800s and the 1930s. These ambitious iron machines and the finely sculpted classical masterworks play off each beautifully, their contrast shedding new light on the might of both ages and their legacies: power and impermanence. 

If you are not a ‘museum person’, take a look here – the Centrale Montemartini may have just something to offer you. This is probably the most family-friendly museum Rome, offering something for everyone. And it is not as far from the center of Rome as you might think a power station would be.

English web site:  http://en.centralemontemartini.org/