Rome is the eternal city, home to countless monuments and history. A month would not be enough to appreciate and see all the culture and art that the capital has to offer. To begin, however, we have identified 10 absolutely unmissable masterpieces. Raphael’s frescoes at Villa Farnesina
The Villa Farnesina in Rome was built in the sixteenth century at the behest of Agostino Chigi who commissioned some artists including Raphael to paint the frescoes that still animate the Villa today. Among these we remember the one depicting Cupid and Psyche and Galatea which are located on the ceiling of the Loggia. Apollo and Daphne by Bernini
A statue that makes you think again about the creative possibilities of the human being and which is located at the Borghese Gallery. The scene portrays Daphne trying to escape from Apollo when the nymph transforms into a laurel tree. Daphne’s hands demonstrate Bernini’s genius, who was only 24 when I created this sculpture. The sarcophagus of the Spouses
It is an Etruscan terracotta sarcophagus dating back to the 6th century BC depicting two spouses during the wedding banquet. The work is kept in Villa Giulia. The two figures have the same dimensions and this would suggest that the Etruscan civilization believed in the equality of the sexes. Furthermore, the culture of this civilization was very attentive to life in the afterlife and therefore much attention was paid to the appearance and ornaments of the sarcophagus.Caravaggio’s paintings in the Contarelli Chapel
Caravaggio is undoubtedly one of the most famous Baroque artists in Italy. He was an innovator as well as an expert in drawing dramatic scenes in which he employed the chiaroscuro technique. His masterpieces are scattered throughout Rome but in the Contarelli Chapel in the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi there are three works by him. Painted between 1599-1600 they depict the apostle Matthew: “The inspiration of St. Matthew”, on the right side the “Martyrdom of St. Matthew” and on the left the “Vocation of St. Matthew”. Michelangelo’s Mose
The statue is inside the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, near the Monti district. Moses is the central figure of the tomb commissioned by Pope Julius II in the 16th century and is represented with two horns on his head, due to a translation error from the Book of Exodus of the Bible. The mosaics at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
The Basilica is not only famous for being one of the oldest in all of Rome but also for the mosaics by Pietro Cavallini which represent the life of the Virgin Mary. The gallery of mirrors at the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
Inside the Gallery there are 18th century frescoes, gigantic mirrors and marble statues. The gallery preserves the private art collection of the Doria Pamphilj family which includes works by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Velazquez to name a few. “The Ecstasy of Santa Teresa” by Bernini Located
in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, the statue represents Teresa of Avila, a nun in a moment of mystical ecstasy. The angel arrives holding with delicacy a golden dart turned towards the heart of the saint. The work represents the Baroque par excellence and is full of expressive power and emotion.
