The Centrale Montemartini Museum, the most recent addition to the series of Rome's Museums of the City, showcases some 400 Roman sculptures in a truly unique way. The fact that this incredible collection of the art of Rome came to be entirely by accident and has defied the odds to remain open only makes the story more fascinating. In fact it is as much the relationship between the art of Rome on display here and the incredible building itself that completes the tale.
The Centrale Montemartini - Power Station Origins
The imposing building that today houses this impressive Roman sculpture and mosaic collection was inaugurated as a state of the art power station in 1913. The location in the Ostiense Marconi area of Rome, just outside the famous 3rd Century AD Aurelian walls, was earmarked as an area for industrial development in this ever growing early 20th Century city. Sited here due to its proximity to the Tiber river and the Ostiense train line, The Centrale Montemartini produced power for Rome until it was made obsolete more than 50 years later in 1963.
Decline and Restoration
For the next twenty years the Centrale Montemartini fell into disrepair. The machines were allowed to rust or dismantled for use elsewhere by ACEA, the Italian power company still in existence today. At this time a vast gutted space so close to the city centre and right opposite the thriving whole sale fruit and vegetable Mercato Centrale markets of Rome, it became designated as a space for storage and fell into further decay.
When 20 years later ACEA decided to restore the three main wings; the column room, the boiler room and the machine room, the industrial archaeological importance of the site was finally acknowledged, but that was as far as plans stretched. It was to prove only the beginning.
The Capitoline Museums Restored
When suddenly in 1995 humidity threatened the Roman sculptures on display in the Gallaria Lapidaria wing of the Capitoline Museums an urgent solution was called for. Due to the vast space required for the restoration of hundreds of Roman sculptures many were moved to the Centrale Montemartini.
This was the beginning of what was to become Rome's newest museum. The wonderful and unusual juxtaposition of ancient Roman sculpture and early 20th C industrial archaeology was not lost on the Romans and it was decided to test the waters.
The Re-birth of the Centrale Montemartini - A New Rome Art Museum
So in 1997 the first exhibition, 'The Machines and the Gods' opened at the Centrale Montemartini. The two diametrically opposite worlds of Roman sculpture and industrial archaeology displayed amongst restored boilers and machines, created a quite a stir.
The exhibition was however always supposed to be temporary and when the newly restored wings of the Capitoline Museums threw open their doors to the public in 2005, the idea was to transfer all the Roman sculptures back. However, this did not happen; thanks to the success of the Machines and the Gods exhibition 400 Roman sculptures remained and today form a unique collection.
The Museum Today
The Centrale Montemartini exhibit begins with a series of information panels covering the history of the building and reveals how the museum is part of a wider project of redevelopment in the Ostiense Marconi area, the oldest industrial area of Rome. Through the machine, column and finally boiler room the art of Rome especially from the so called horti Romane (large villa-like complexes located just outside the city walls) and excavated just after the Unification of Italy in 1860 is on display. Particular focus is on Republican Rome, the monuments from the centre of Rome (the theatre of Pompey, the Largo Argentina and the Campidoglio) as well as from the Imperial Gardens outside Rome.
A Photographer's Delight
Unusually photography and even flash photography are permitted in the Centrale Montemartini. The Capitoline Museums use this space as an 'experimental' Rome Art Museum, testing different display styles, positioning and innovations in lighting. In many ways the style in which magnificent busts, friezes, frescos, wonderful mosaics and other art of Rome on display here is akin to the New Acropolis Museum of Athens. As such you get wonderfully up close with the displays and thanks to the airy rooms and relatively low visitor numbers a visit to the Centrale Montemartini is an experience unlike any other in a Rome Museum.
Roman Sculpture Highlights Not to Miss
With in excess of 400 pieces of Roman sculpture defining the unmissable is not easy. As the majority of the truly exceptional pieces of the art of Rome were returned to the Capitoline Museums after their restoration, the highlight is in many ways this juxtaposition between the ancient and modern. However a few pieces not to be missed include: Bust of Cleopatra (Machine Room), Bronze Roman Parade Bed (Column Room), Bust of Mars (Machine Room), Mosaic of the Fish (Boiler Room) and Bust of Athena (Column Room).
Practical Information
Location: Centrale Montemartini, Via Ostiense 106
Opening: Tues-Sun 9.00 - 19.00 (Last entry 30 mins prior) Closed Mondays
Cost: Normal rate is € 5.50
How to get there: Metro Line B (blue) to Garbatella or Bus Line 23, 271, 769, 770
