Capitoline Museums, Art museum in Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome, Italy
The Capitoline Museums are a museum complex on Capitoline Square in Rome, Italy, spread across two main buildings and an underground connecting passage. The Palazzo dei Conservatori houses paintings and sculptures, while the Palazzo Nuovo displays ancient Roman statues and busts.
Pope Sixtus IV founded this institution in 1471 by donating bronze sculptures to the Roman people. It is thereby considered one of the first publicly accessible museums in the world.
The museum takes its name from the Capitoline Hill, one of Rome's seven hills where it stands. Visitors encounter here the statue of the Capitoline Wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, regarded as a symbol of the city.
The complex opens daily from morning to evening, except on certain holidays. Access is through the main staircase of Campidoglio or via an accessible elevator at the back.
The original bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius from the 2nd century is kept indoors to protect it from weathering. A copy now stands on the square in front of the museum.
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