Rome
Rome wasn’t built in a day – and neither was its stellar art collection, which features works spanning more than two millennia, from ancient BC sculptures to more abstract modern installations. In fact, all roads in Rome lead to treasure troves of one sort or another for the art enthusiast, as artistic works spill out over designated galleries and museums and into the city’s numerous basilicas, villas, gardens, piazzas, and in the elaborate architecture itself. There is no single more important collection in Rome, however, than one housed in the Vatican Museums, where the Sistine Chapel is found. A rich compilation of works from antiquity and the Renaissance line the elaborate papal palaces and apartments of the Vatican complex; there’s even a collection of modern religious art including spiritually-themed works by Picasso, Gauguin, and Chagall, among others. The coup de grace though, is, unquestionably, the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo’s legendary ceiling frescoes form perhaps the world’s most elaborate and renowned masterpiece. While numerous Roman basilicas dot the streets, none is as magnificent as St. Peter’s Basilica; exquisite works from Raphael, Bramante, and Maderno can be admired under a grand dome designed by Michelangelo. Other don’t-miss collections include the Borghese Gallery, the National Etruscan Museum, the Gallery of Modern Art, and the National Gallery of Ancient Art.
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