The Centrale Montemartini is an archaeology museum in Rome, mostly focused on Classical sculpture, housed in a former power station dating back to the early 20th century.
Building and site
Although a bit difficult to get to, the Centrale Montemartini is worth the effort due to its unusual combination of industrial architecture and excellent antique sculptures.
This venue was created in 1997 in a former power station to temporarily accommodate a part of the antique sculpture collection of the Capitoline museums, which at that time closed for renovation.
The temporary exhibition at the Centrale was so appreciated that it was eventually converted into a permanent museum. Therefore, the visitors can now see exceptional marble and bronze antiquities displayed side by side with imposing electric machinery.
Exterior view of the Centrale Montemartini building, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
What to see at the Centrale Montemartini
The exhibition at the Centrale Montemartini, which was the first thermoelectric plant built in Rome, plays with the fascinating contrast between the industrial architecture of the building, the remaining electric machinery, and the classic Roman sculptures, mosaics, and architectural pieces, therefore creating a fascinating and surprising experience.
The exhibition gallery is divided into four large rooms: the Atrium, the Hall of Columns, the Hall of the Machines, and the Boiler Room and is sorted by themes: animals, famous women, battles and warriors, Dionysus and his followers, poetry, music, and theatre.
The museum, located in the Ostiense neighborhood, is about a 10-minute walk from the Line B metro station Garbatella.
The turbine hall, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
Industrial archaeology and antique sculptures side by side, in the background: a reconstruction of the pediment of the temple of Apollo Sosiano, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
Installation view, Hall of the Machines, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
A bronze statue of the Empress Agrippina the Younger (1st century A.D.) with historical thermoelectric generators in the background, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
Installation view of the turbine hall, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
A marble statue of the goddess Athena, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
Foreground: Roman copy of a Greek statue in the Hall of the Machines, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015
Mosaic with hunting scene (early 5th century A.D.) in the boiler room, photo © Riccardo Bianchini, Inexhibit, 2015