May 16th 2009: Free museum night in Rome

Elewhere in Europe it has alredy become a tradition, but this year, for the first time, Rome will also celebrate its museum night. On Saturday May 16th 2009 around 60 Roman museums will be open to the public until 2am the following day.

Various specially organized events will also take place: free concerts, lectures and other happenings will be held in a number of Rome’s museums.

Guided tours of the rose garden, the zoo and the Villa Borghese park are amog the more interesting events.

Both the musea and the special events will be free.

For more information you can either call +39 060608 or visit the website www.beniculturali.it.

April 18-26 in Rome: Free Museum Week

This Rome information blog is written for the English speaking guests of the B&B Little Italy Rome and the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel

In case the Chaplin and the Little Italy are not what you are looking for or you prefer a hotel to a bed and breakfast in Rome, we recommend the Venere website for finding both luxury and cheap accommodation in the Eternal City. You fill out your budget and which quarter of Rome you would like to stay in and you will be supplied with a list of available Rome hotels, bed and breakfasts or apartments in Rome for the desired period. Guest opinions facilitate your choice. Booking online.

Every year for the past 24 years in Italy one week of the year has been proclaimed the country’s cultural week. In the course of this cultural week all Italian state run museums and other tourist attractions are free.

For the year 2009 the cultural week starts on April 18th and lasts until the 26th. April 25th being an Italian holiday anyway, it has been decided to add this date to the free museum week.

As of tomorrow therefore all state run monuments and museums in Rome (this includes famous and important attractions like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Borghese Gallery and the Capitoline Museums) will therefore let you in without paying.

Several non state run attractions participate by either lowering the admission cost or by not charging an entrance fee at all.

Remember that a visit to the Borghese Gallery will be free during the cultural week, but that a reservation will still be required.

The Vatican Museums, the Catacombs, etc, are not run by the state and do therefore not participate in the initiative.

In case you have more information about the free museum week in Rome, or photographs, please help us make this website better by providing us with your feedback.

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Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna in Rome, Italy

This Rome blog article was written for the guests of the Bed and Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome and the B&B Little Italy.

Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna – Early History

The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna (Gnam, for short) was founded in 1883, not too long after the unification of Italy.

Until 1915, when it was moved to its present location in the Viale delle Belle Arti, it was housed at the Exposition Palace constructed by Pio Piacentini. The modern building was created by Cesare Bazzani in occasion of the exposition celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Italy’s unification. (1911).

Initially the movements represented were Symbolism, Decadentism, and the Italian verismo. The displayed works were acquired at the Biennale of Venice and the great National Expositions.

Donations by important 19^th century Italian painters followed.

Between the wars the accent lay on the acquisition of national and regional works, like the Macchiaioli and the Divisionist movements.

Bazzani enlarged the building in 1933 and 1934. The new spaces were exlusively used for works celebrating fascism.

Gnam – after the war

During the first 3 decades after the war the Galleria became ever more important, acquiring works by notable 20^th century artists like Mondrian, Modigliani and Pollock.

Modern Italian artists like Fontana, Manzoni and the Kineticists also found space in the museum.

The creation of a new Ministry of Culture deprived the Gallery of its independence regarding acquisitions, and fewer contemporary pieces were bought. In its place came works from pre-unification Italy.

Important donations added 20^th century art (a.o. De Chirico) to the collection again and a number of house-museums were acquired from collectors and artists’ studios.

In 1995 a group of works by the 1980’s Transavanguardia movement were added to the collection.

Admission fees in Rome’s museums

Special terms for admission into state museums and art sites

European citizens younger than 18 and older than 65 have free admission. There is a 50% reduction on the ticket prices for European Union citizens between 18 and 25 years of age.These rates are also valid for countries with which a reciprocal convention exists.
Teachers with permanent jobs in state schools get 50% off. School groups enter for free but have to bring an official letter stating the number of pupils and the names of their leaders. Pupils of fine arts academies and relevant university educations do not pay. Guides and interpreters accompanying guided tours enter for free.

Special terms for admission into municipal museums and art sites

The rules are more or less the same as for the state museums and art sites except that there is no discount for the age group between 18 and 25 and for the university and fine art academy students.