Rome's magical attractions: museums

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

I wonder if any city in the world operates as many museums as Rome.

There are 15 of them here, including the museums of the City Walls, ancient Peace Altar (or Ara Pacis) and Napoleonic Age.

Last Sunday I checked out the Museum of Rome in the beautiful 18th century Palazzo Braschi, near the Pantheon. It tells the city’s fascinating history, though I must confess that with its endless formal portraits and marble busts of people you’ve never heard of, the place could use a little freshening up.

A special exhibition there of photos from the Mayor’s Press Office Archives (on display through July 13) goes a long way to kindle a visitor’s interest. Taken by staff photographers from 1930 to 2007, the pictures document the changing cityscape, day-to-day life and important historical events, such as Mayor Clelio Darida’s 1972 meeting with a Native American chief in full headdress and actor Alberto Sordi as “Mayor for a Day” in 1980.

There’s some video too, including the Olympic torch run through Rome in 1960 and Princess Di’s visit in 1985. Most heart-rending are sequences of JFK’s visit to Rome in 1963, shortly before his assassination.

Afterward, I needed a pick-me-up. Fortunately, the Caffe Sant’ Eustachio is right around the corner, home of what many consider la citta’s best coffee. But really, it’s the crema that’s so outstanding. At the end of a macchiato there’s a half-inch of milk foam left in the cup to spoon up. And in my humble opinion, it’s better than ice cream.

–Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Photos: Susan Spano / LAT]

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This entry was posted on Monday, June 23, 2008 at 12:00 pm by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.