Archaeological museum, History museum
Crypta Balbi - Museo Nazionale Romano
One of the four sites of the Museo Nazionale Romano, the Crypta Balbi tells the uninterrupted history of a single city block in central Rome, pieced together from excavated remains, objects and archive documents.
The story
The museum grew out of a planned research project drawing on every field of knowledge, making it one of only a small number of museums in the world with such origins. Its excavations tested original techniques and methods that still serve as a model for the discipline of urban archaeology. Inside, displays are arranged by floor according to the time periods in which finds were made, with artefacts from the immediate area, including palazzi and churches spanning centuries. Below, the crypt exposes layers of history such as Roman roads and cisterns, showing how later generations buried rather than reused the ancient waterworks. Since January 2023 the site has been closed to general visits for works under the major URBS project, with tours by advance booking.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦Tours must be booked in advance, as walk-up visits are not currently possible.
- ✦Tours are given in Italian, but a book lets non-Italian speakers follow along.
- ✦Entry is part of a combined ticket covering four Museo Nazionale Romano sites around Rome.
