Palazzo Braschi

Palazzo Braschi, seat of the civic museum of Rome (Museo di Roma) since 1952, boasts an enviable location in the very centre of Rome between Piazza Navona, Piazza di Pasquini, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the popular Campo de’ Fiori.
During the 16th century, this area was occupied by another palace built by Giuliano da Sangallo il Giovane for Francesco Orsini, later modified by the Cardinal Carafa, the one who found the Pasquino statue. In 1792 Luigi Braschi Onesti, nephew of Pope Pius VI Braschi, bought and modified the existing palace. Left incomplete because of the French occupation and because Luigi’s death in 1816, the building was later sold to the Italian State in 1871 and then used for different purposes (during the Fascism it was the headquarters of Mussolini, then, during the Second World War it housed many refugees. It was converted into a museum in 1952.
Today the Museum of Rome boasts one of the most large and complete collections related to the history of Rome from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The museum is rich of ancient carriages, period furniture, mosaics, frescoes, clothing, tapestries, sculptures and paintings as well. The only photographic collection from the Municipal Archives, with many images showing how Rome appeared a century ago, really worth a visit.