15 Most Famous Museums in Italy

Italy is best known all over the world for a multitude of sights and things to do. If I ask you what you preferred during your trip to Italy, you would probably answer: “the food”. But then, you would also tell me that you have visited the best museums in Italy. And the depth of the Italian art, surely, dethrones the food. We are so passionate about museums that we decided to write up a quick guide for you to visit the 15 most famous museums in Italy.

15 Most Famous Museums in Italy

This list of the most famous museums you can find in Italy does not stop in Rome or Florence. Rather, it focuses on the best artistic gems that the Italian culture has offered the world for centuries. Lose yourself in time among statues all more exquisitely-refined than the next. Enjoy paintings, architecture, and the very best that Italy has to offer the eye!

1. Vatican Museums

The most famous museums in Italy – which are not technically located in Italy – have got to be the Vatican Museums. Most famous for the Sistine Chapel, they are nothing short of artistic wonder. Different types of art blend there, between cultures such as Etruscans, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, or Christian. It is easy to get lost there, in the mix of historical, religious, and artistic venues. We highly suggest booking your tickets online.

2. Castel Sant’Angelo

The National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo is one of the most breathtaking museums in Italy – and it is located near the Vatican Museums. The museum is a masterpiece, a monument, and an archaeological area among the most beautiful in Rome. Within its walls, prints, paintings, and sculptures that all revolve around the history of Castel Sant’Angelo. Book the tickets online on this link.

3. Galleria Borghese

Amongst our best art museums in Italy, we have decided to include the Galleria Borghese, one of our favorites in Rome. It hosts a collection of several hundred paintings and an archaeological collection that attracted the attention of Napoleon Bonaparte himself. You can book tickets in advance to Villa Borghese as well.

4. Pompei

In our list, we have thought of including one of the best museums in Naples, Italy – actually, just a bit outside Naples. The famous Pompei is a dead city that extends over dozens of acres. When you visit Pompei, you will have the opportunity to go back in time, to a city once buried under the volcanic ash of the Vesuvius. As for all the above, we suggest booking your tickets to Pompeii in advance.

5. National Archaeological Museum of Naples

Another one of the best museums in Naples, Italy, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples is filled to the core with mosaics and sculptures. It is one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, and you can even see ruins of the Ancient Rome there. However, one of the greatest parts of the museum has got to be that of Ancient Egypt. All in all, it is a very complete museum that you cannot miss! Tickets are available online for the National Archeological Museum of Naples.

6. Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence

Moving away from Naples for a bit, your steps might carry you to Florence. When you are in town, do not miss the Galleria dell’Accademia (Accademia Gallery). It attracts visitors from all over the world thanks to the sculptures of Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, or Pontormo. It sits at the epitome of museum elegance – a must-visit. To make sure you’re getting in the museum, as it’s a really popular one, try and get your ticket online.

7. Uffizi Gallery in Florence

The Galleria Degli Uffizi hosts century-old paintings that range from the 13th to the 18th Century. There, you can find some of the most famous paintings by Italian Renaissance artists, such as Botticelli, Leonardi da Vinci, Raffaello, or Michelangelo. While in Florence, be sure to visit the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most elegant art museums in Italy. Since the Uffizi is really popular, and it did happen with us as well multiple times that we didn’t get tickets on the spot, we really do suggest booking your ticket online!

8. Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Florence

If you really want to understand the genius of the secret man, pay a visit to the central Leonardo da Vinci Museum, in Florence. It is one of the best museums in Florence, Italy, mixing art with science. Plunge in history, and get to know the educational content wrapped up in fun and secrecy. As for all the above, you can book tickets online for the Leonardo da Vinci Museum as well.

9. Vespa Museum in Italy

How can you be visiting Italy and not spend a delicious afternoon at the Piaggio Museum at Pontedera? There, you will unveil the secrets and intricacies of the world-famous Vespa scooter. Of course, we are here listing another type of art, where the scooters shine with history. If you happen to travel near Pontedera, do pay a visit to this amazing Vespa Museum in Italy.

10. Ferrari Museum in Maranello

Car lovers should be in seventh heaven; as the Ferrari Museum counts among the best car museums in Italy. There, you will be able to hop on a real Ferrari car, and visit the factory – among many other exciting activities! We have listed the Ferrari Museum as one of the best car museums in Italy for the diversity of activities it offers, and the exciting approach to the public. For the Ferrari Museum as well, you can get tickets online.

11. Museo Egizio de Turin

This museum is among the most famous museums in Italy, and its collections are rich and full of history. Within its walls, the museum holds more than 37.000 items that have helped us understand the functioning of humans from the Paleolithic. The items include various sarcophagi, mummies, papyrus, and more – all to bring you back in time. The Egyptian Museum is something incredible, and if you’re in Torino, you shouldn’t skip it!

12. Roman Forum

The Roman Forum (Foro Romano in Italian) is worth a thousand visits. We have included it in this list of museums in Italy for the history it boasts and the beauty of the ruins. Located in the center of Rome, it links our modern world with the beginnings of society. Visit the Forum to learn all about the ancient governments, processions, speeches, and trials that took place there. Ticket to the Forum and Colosseum together are available online.

13. Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan

One of the best museums in Milan Italy is undoubtfully the Villa Necchi Campiglio. When you pass the entrance doors, you will be brought back in time. Lose yourself between the most exquisite paintings and sculptures, in the richest background.

14. Museo Poldi Pezzoli

The Museum Poldi Pezzoli hosts countless fine art masterpieces, arms, and furniture all more exquisite than the next. It is one of the best museums in Milan, and one of the best museums in Italy. Why? Because of the dreaminess that breathes through the walls, and the richness of every detail surrounding you.

15. Musei Capitolini in Rome

The last museum in our list of museums in Italy is the Capitoline Museums. The collections are stunning and make it one of the best museums in Rome Italy. The first three buildings date back to the 12th Century, and their architecture is simply breathtaking. The Capitoline Museums are the main civic museum of Rome and one of the best museums in Italy. Notably, they are known to host the symbol of Rome; the she-wolf that raised Remus and Romulus. For the Capitolium Museums, you can book tickets online.

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Wrapping up 15 Best Museums in Italy

There you have it – a guide that will allow you to feed on the very best of arts, all around Italy. So many more are open to the public; from the very finest collections to more insolite museums. One thing is for sure: you won’t get bored!

PIN IT: 15 Best Museums in Italy for Curious Travelers