Best for
Architecture and contemporary art fans, anyone wanting a break from ancient Rome
Time needed
1.5–2.5 hours
Worth it?
Yes for architecture lovers — more optional for a first, short visit to Rome
Skip if
You have limited time and haven't yet covered the historic centre's essentials
About MAXXI — National Museum of 21st Century Arts
MAXXI opened in 2010 as Italy's first national museum dedicated to contemporary art and architecture, built on the site of a former military barracks in the Flaminio district. Zaha Hadid won the international design competition in 1998, and the building that resulted — sweeping, curved concrete volumes that seem to flow into and around each other, with no straight corridors and barely a right angle in sight — won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2010, cementing MAXXI's reputation as an architectural landmark in its own right, independent of whatever happens to be on display.
Inside, MAXXI runs two parallel programmes: MAXXI Art, with a growing permanent collection of Italian and international contemporary work plus rotating exhibitions, and MAXXI Architecture, with archives and shows dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century design and building. Neither collection has the depth of a major European contemporary art museum yet — MAXXI is still a young institution — but the exhibition programming is genuinely ambitious and changes often enough to reward repeat visits.
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What draws most visitors, honestly, is the architecture itself: the cantilevered black steel staircases suspended in the main atrium, the curving concrete ribs of the ceiling, and the way natural light gets filtered through the building's angular skylights. It photographs as well as almost anything in Rome, in a completely different register from the city's Baroque and ancient sights.
MAXXI sits outside the historic centre in Flaminio, a 20-minute tram or bus ride from most hotels, which keeps visitor numbers modest by Rome standards — a deliberate contrast if the crowds at the Colosseum or Vatican have worn you down and you want architecture and contemporary art with room to breathe.
What to See: Highlights
- 1Zaha Hadid's Stirling Prize-winning building itself
- 2Cantilevered black steel staircases in the main atrium
- 3Rotating contemporary art and architecture exhibitions
- 4A genuinely modern counterpoint to Rome's ancient and Baroque sights
- 5Noticeably lighter crowds than the historic-centre museums
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Insider Tips
Go for the building as much as the art — photograph the atrium staircases
Check current exhibitions before visiting, as the permanent collection alone is modest
Combine with a walk along the Tiber or a visit to the nearby Auditorium Parco della Musica
Located outside the historic centre — budget 20 minutes' transit each way
The on-site café has outdoor seating in the museum's courtyard
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Getting There
Via Guido Reni, 4A, 00196 Roma RM
Open in Google Maps →- 1Tram 2 from Piazzale Flaminio, or bus 53/168/280/910 to Via Guido Reni. About 20 minutes from the historic centre.
Where to stay
Hotels in Rome
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You appreciate contemporary architecture — Zaha Hadid fans in particular
- You want a genuine change of pace from ancient and Baroque Rome
- You're staying multiple days and have already covered the core sights
- You enjoy photographing striking modern interiors
Skip if...
- You're on a first, short trip and haven't yet seen the Colosseum or Vatican
- Contemporary art doesn't interest you and you're purely here for it
- You don't want to spend 20+ minutes travelling outside the centre
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in Rome
Villa Giulia — National Etruscan Museum
The world's best collection of Etruscan art and artefacts, inside a 16th-century papal pleasure villa — a chance to meet the civilization Rome grew out of and then largely erased from its own founding story.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM)
Italy's national gallery of 19th- and 20th-century art, inside a grand neoclassical building at the edge of Villa Borghese — Canova, Boccioni's Futurism, De Chirico, Klimt and Van Gogh under one roof, with barely any crowds.