Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella e Castrum Caetani
The great Roman mausoleum on the Via Appia Antica, turned into a tower by the Caetani castle, houses the Museo dell’Appia with statues, sarcophagi and inscriptions.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella is one of the symbolic places of the Via Appia Antica. It was built between 30 and 10 BC at the third milestone of the road. On the outside it is a tall cylinder clad in travertine slabs on a square base; inside, a conical burial chamber with an opening at the top housed the body of a wealthy Roman matron, probably the daughter-in-law of Marcus Licinius Crassus.
The name of the locality, Capo di Bove, derives from the frieze of ox skulls that decorates the monument. At the beginning of the 14th century the Caetani family bought these lands and had a castle (castrum) built: a curtain wall with a church, a palace and a tower raised precisely on the mass of the Roman tomb.
The residential part of the fortification, with its battlemented walls and mullioned windows, today houses the Museo dell’Appia, a collection of statues, sarcophagi, inscriptions and reliefs from the funerary monuments that overlooked the road. The visit includes the mausoleum, the interior of Palazzo Caetani and the church of San Nicola, and is enriched by holographic projections in the burial chamber, video mapping and a 3D experience with headsets included in the ticket.
Highlights
- Circular mausoleum of Cecilia Metella with ox-skull frieze
- Fourteenth-century Caetani castle with battlemented walls and mullioned windows
- Museo dell’Appia with statues, sarcophagi and inscriptions
- Church of San Nicola
- Holographic projections, video mapping and 3D experience with headsets
Permanent exhibition
- Museo dell'Appia – Statues, sarcophagi, inscriptions and reliefs from the funerary monuments of the Via Appia Antica, displayed in the palace of the Caetani castle.
- Operated by
- Parco archeologico dell'Appia Antica
- Visitors per year
- approx. 25,905
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
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| Reduced | €2young people of the European Union aged 18 to 24 (up to and including the day of their 25th birthday) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s, EU and non-EU. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities. |
| Park ticket (all sites of the Via Appia Antica, valid 7 days, with booking) | €12Reduced €2. |
| La Mia Appia Card (annual personal pass) | €25Unlimited entry to all sites of the Park, with booking. |
| Reduced Roma Pass (48-hour and 72-hour cards) | €4 |
The €8 ticket is valid for the Mausoleo di Cecilia Metella and for the Complesso di Capo di Bove on the same day. Free admission also for tourist guides, teachers, ICOM members and other categories provided for by regulations. Tickets are bought on the Musei Italiani website, with the Musei Italiani app or at the totems at the site entrances.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The mausoleum is connected to the visit route by flights of steps, and the area of the church of San Nicola is also only partially accessible. The site has tactile information panels with Braille texts. The Park’s exhibition venues have no architectural barriers.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
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The Park has joined the project “Nati con la Cultura” to encourage access for families with children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Arco di Travertino (metro A)
Metro line A to Arco di Travertino, then bus 660; from the historic centre, bus 118 (circular line Villa dei Quintili/Centro Storico), S. Gregorio stop.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The 3D experience with headsets (oculus) is included in the ticket, but it is not available on the first Sunday of the month. A ticket bought online can be shown on a phone. |
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