Museo delle Mura, Rome, Italy

The Museo delle Mura ('museum of the walls') provides an exhibition on the walls of Rome and their building techniques, as well as the opportunity to walk along the inside of one of the best-preserved stretches of the Aurelian Wall. The museum is free of charge.

The museum in its present form, was officially opened in 1990. Prior to 1939, the Porta San Sebastiano (also known as the Porta Appia) had been open to the public but it was then taken over by Ettore Muti, the Secretary of the Italian Fascist Party. White-and-black mosaics in some rooms date back to that time. From 1970, there was a small museum connected to the internal parapet of the Aurelian Wall but this museum was only open to the public on Sundays, and, after a few years, was closed.

The museum provides a detailed history of wall construction in Rome and the surrounding areas, with information going back to one constructed in Ardea to the southeast of Rome in the 8th century. It describes the construction methods of the first Roman wall, built by Servius Tullius the legendary sixth king of Rome, the second wall constructed in the 4th century BC after invasion of Rome by the Gauls, and the Aurelian Walls, constructed in the 3rd century CE, as well as subsequent work to raise the height of those walls and improve defences, and more recent additions and changes up to the 20th century. In addition to text and diagrams, some models of walls are provided.

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User Reviews

Boyan Aleksandrov (3 years ago)
Amazing views and free museum. There is no other city in the world like Rome. And Appia Antica is one of a kind.

Anima Libera (3 years ago)
This museum definitely is "must visit". Incredible atmosphere is inside the walls. Great experience to feel like a keeper of Rome ? There's a space for the exhibitions inside as well. The museum is absolutely free, you don't need to buy any ticket. The entrance is on the left side behind the arc. Working hours are from 9am till 2pm (except Mondays). It would be hard to visit it with a baby carriage as there are many stairs inside and often they're narrow and steep

Giulia (3 years ago)
My visit was a real pleasure! More than a "traditional" museum, it is an historical place, where you are let wonder around completely free (and entrance is also always free of charge). You can climb all the way up in the door of the walls and you'll get views on the lushy countryside/via Appia, as well as on different surrounding neighborhoods, of which you'll be able to recognise some main buildings (and the panels there will help you spot them, trees and vegetation cover permitting, in the summer). Then you can walk along/inside quite a long stretch of walls, on the other side a very nicely kept private garden, and there's even a piece of frescoes. To enter you have to ring and they will open the door for you; up the first set of stairs staff is sitting in a small room and will give you a brief explanation, the free tickets and plastic reusable/refillable bottles to use in the many Roman drinking fountains too! (At least, when I was visiting.) Finally, the toilets were available and clean, and only a few people were visiting.

Rossana Ruggeri (3 years ago)
A nice stop to make if you can spare some time. The Aurelian wall is beautiful and pretty well tended. You can go around up to the top and also walk a part through it. There are some panels and a few scale models that give you some info. There's ac and also bathrooms inside. The entry is free but it's nice they have a small donations box so we can help keep it well attended. I was amazed the maintenance was a big thumbs up even though there is no entry fee. It's a bit tricky to arrive by foot! The sidewalk is fairly little so you have to be mindful of the cars!

Tim Kitchen (3 years ago)
My wife and I chose this museum on a free day in Rome, and we were not disappointed. The place is free and self guided, so it was a very relaxing place to spend a couple of hours marveling at these ancient Roman walls. The excellent restrooms were appreciated in a city that doesn't seem to have many public facilities. We really enjoyed the visit.

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