National Museum of Musical Instruments, Musical instrument museum near San Giovanni in Laterano, Italy
The National Museum of Musical Instruments is housed in Rome within a former military barracks and displays more than three thousand historical instruments spanning multiple centuries. The collection ranges from the late Hellenistic period through modern times, presenting tools used for many different musical styles and traditions.
The museum's foundation comes from a collector's assemblage acquired by the Italian state in 1949 and officially established as a museum in 1964. The building itself was originally constructed for military purposes before being repurposed for this cultural mission.
The collection reveals how people across different lands and eras created and valued music through their instruments. You can see how musical traditions shaped the objects on display and what they meant to the communities that used them.
The museum is easily walkable and located in a quiet part of Rome near San Giovanni in Laterano. It helps to check opening hours before visiting and allow time for a leisurely stroll through the exhibitions.
The museum holds one of the few surviving original pianos from the inventor of modern piano technique, dating to 1722. A rare German harpsichord from 1537 is also displayed here, of which only a handful remain in the world.
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