Designed by some of the greatest architects of the Renaissance, today this stunning Palazzo Barberini houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art (Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica). Though not entirely off the map (the collection is one of Italy’s most prestigious), you’ll find a fraction of the Vatican Museums’ crowds here. Take time admiring works like La Fornarina by Raphael and Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes just around the corner from bustling Piazza Barberini in the heart of Rome.

Set a comfortable distance from the more tourist-trodden hubs, Rome’s MAXXI is located in the northern Flaminio neighborhood, offering plenty for lovers of contemporary art. But most visitors come to admire the building itself, a space-age, cement-and-glass creation by the late architect Zaha Hadid. Follow the massive internal ramps and walkways to visit the spaces dedicated to art and to architecture and take in the view from the signature jutting window.

Quietly lining the better part of a city block just steps from the bustling Campo de’ Fiori market square, Palazzo Spada was a noble Renaissance residence that now holds one of the world’s premier collections of baroque paintings—though you’d never guess it from the uncrowded halls. Marvel at works by artists like Guido Reni and Artemisia Gentileschi hidden away in the four ornately decorated quadrerie, or picture rooms, and enjoy having this Roman museum all to yourself.

In 1897, a fire tore through the Church of the Sacred Heart of Suffrage (Chiesa del Sacro Cuore del Suffragio), leaving charred marks on a wall that resembled a human face—at least to the priest at the time, Father Vittore Jouet. He believed the mark was a soul stuck in purgatory attempting to communicate thus beginning his lifelong quest of assembling articles of clothing, books, and photos that he believed were “singed" by the souls of the dead. Today, this church is home to his collection.

For a fascinating look at Italy’s culinary history, visit the Museum of Cooking. It opened in 2022, and word still hasn’t gotten out about this small gem. Set on Palatine Hill at the exact spot where Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, were said to be suckled by a she-wolf, the collection contains culinary tools, cookbooks, and other gadgets relating to cooking and cuisine dating from the Renaissance through the 19th century.

Despite its dark past as Mussolini’s private residence, Villa Torlonia in the Nomentana district is one of the most whimsical museums in Rome. The estate encompasses three buildings: the Casina delle Civette, the Casino dei Principi, and the Casino Nobile. You can’t leave without strolling the manicured grounds and admiring the collection of neoclassical and art nouveau stained glass, furnishings, sculpture, and Italian art.

Lording over Via del Corso, Palazzo Doria Pamphilij is one of the few palaces in Rome that’s still privately owned by its original family. Most tourists rush past on their way to the nearby Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, not realizing that they’ve just overlooked one of the most rarified art collections in the world. This gilded wonderland is open to the public and home to the Galleria Doria Pamphilij, an immense collection of paintings, furniture, and statues.

Imagine possessing a collection of ancient statuary so vast that you run out of storage space. That’s the origin story behind this incredible—and virtually unknown—museum that houses 400 pieces of Roman and Greek sculptures against the backdrop of a decommissioned power plant in the Ostiense neighborhood, just south of Rome’s city center. The Centrale Montmartini is one of Rome’s most unusual exhibition spaces, displaying the overflow from the Capitoline Museums.