Museo napoleonico di Roma

About the museum

The museum grows out of the collection of Count Giuseppe Primoli (1851–1927), donated to the City of Rome in 1927 together with the ground floor of the family palace, which is still its seat. Palazzo Primoli was built in the 16th century, belonged to the Gottifredi family until the end of the 18th century and then to the Filonardi; Count Luigi Primoli bought it between 1820 and 1828. In 1901 Giuseppe Primoli commissioned the architect Raffaello Ojetti with the radical renovation of the building, and the works lasted until 1911.

The collections are arranged in three sections: the Napoleonic period, the “Roman” period (from the fall of Napoleon I to the rise of Napoleon III) and the Second Empire. The route is organised by rooms and includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, art objects and memorabilia of the Bonapartes in Rome, among them Carpeaux’s group with Napoleone Eugenio and the dog Nero, and a painting by Chabord showing Napoleon at Wagram.

The same palace also houses the Fondazione Primoli, the Biblioteca Primoli and the Museo Mario Praz, a branch of the Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna.

Highlights

• Napoleonic collection of Count Giuseppe Primoli
• Second Empire room with Carpeaux’s group “Napoleone Eugenio con il cane Nero”
• Portraits of the Bonaparte family, including Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi
• Palazzo Primoli, 16th-century building that houses the museum
• Permanent tactile panels and tactile orientation map

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione napoleonica – Route through rooms on the First Empire, the Bonapartes’ Roman period and the Second Empire, with paintings, sculptures, furniture and art objects.

Operated by

Roma Capitale – Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali

Admission & discounts

Free admission for residents of Rome and the metropolitan area with an identity card (since February 2026 it is enough to show it at the ticket desk) and for holders of the MIC card (€5 per year, free admission for 12 months across the Sistema Musei di Roma Capitale); other free admissions under the current tariff scheme. Online advance sales, by phone on 060608 or at the ticket office for later days: a €1 fee applies, and tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed. Audio guide to the permanent collection €4 at the ticket office. Groups of 5 to 25 people plus the guide only with free booking on 060608 and pre-purchase of at least 5 tickets. Schools: booking required and free of charge.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The accessible entrance is at Via Zanardelli 1, about 50 metres from the main entrance. A stairlift (maximum load 250 kg) leads to the museum floor and is activated by asking the ticket desk staff. The route is on a single floor, without architectural barriers. There are no reserved parking spaces; to reach the entrance by car a disabled parking permit is needed. A wheelchair is available on request, and an accessible toilet is on the same floor. A tactile map in the entrance hall, two permanent tactile panels in rooms I and IX, and tactile tours on request; a video station in LIS near the entrance.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

Pushchairs are allowed inside the museum. Educational programmes are offered for schools and for everyone.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Bookshop with museum publications, reproductions and objects. Free self-service cloakroom, to be emptied before closing.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit