A Week in Rome: Musei Capitolini

Atop Capitoline Hill is a museum sandwiched between the enormous wedding-cake Emmanuel Monument and the stunning remains of The Forum. In a single day it's easily possible to do the Collosseum, Palatine Hill, The Forum--

--the Capitoline Museum, and the Emmanuel and still have time to walk into the heart of the old city for dinner.

The Capitoline's appeal is in its irreverent (perhaps unintentional) exhibits, such as this fine collection of disembodied parts:

I often wonder about the elevation of places I visit, and I have determined that Capitoline Hill is exactly one foot above sea level.

And it certainly is one place in in the world where you know you can really get ahead.

Outside the museum is yet another European Guy Onna Horsey, a statue so common on the continent that it lends creedence to Jung's theory of collective consciousness. This one is nicely set off by the pastel colors of the museum.

The museum is inside a former palace, and many of the rooms still have palacial appointments, including chandeliers.

The paintings can be, er, intimidating.

There are the usual naked drunken men that one finds in Rome:

This reminds me: at the time we visited, the museum was undergoing some sort of renovation, and try as we might, we couldn't find our way from one side to the other. Somehow the two are connected, but I couldn't figure out how to get to the other side without walking across the small piazza. So remember, the Capitoline Museum is on BOTH sides of the square. You know you haven't seen both sides if you haven't seen the naked drunken man (above).

Aaack! What is this!

Two babies suckling on a gigantic she-wolf? How weird is that? Well, I just gave you directions involving a giant naked man, so actually, not weird at all.

And so after a brief visit, we set our sights on the rest of Rome.