Domvs Romana
Museum on the remains of a Roman town house outside Mdina, with mosaic floors, marble statues of the Emperor Claudius’s family and finds from Roman Malta.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Domvs Romana in Rabat, just outside the walls of Mdina, preserves the remains of an aristocratic Roman town house. Little of the house itself survived, but its mosaic floors and a range of finds show how rich it once was. The site was found by accident in 1881, and a purpose-built museum, the first structure in the Maltese Islands designed to protect an archaeological site and its collection, opened in 1882. Roman objects from around the island, including marble pieces that had been scattered through the streets of Mdina, were brought here, and for many years the museum was the main store for Roman finds from Malta.
Over time the building was renovated and given a façade with a triangular pediment and a large rectangular display room. It was closed during the Second World War, when it served as a small restoration centre, and reopened to visitors in 1945. The Victorian-style displays have since been modernised.
Today the museum is run by Heritage Malta. Its display leads visitors through the life of a Roman household: the roles within the family, fashion, education, entertainment, and food and drink. Its best-known objects are the only known set of marble statues of the Emperor Claudius and his family displayed in a private house; statues of this kind are normally found in public places. Stairs, with a lift for wheelchair users, lead down to the mosaic floors and the peristyle area, and a sheltered area at the back shows further remains from the Roman and Islamic periods.
Highlights
- Mosaic floors of a Roman aristocratic house
- Marble statues of the Emperor Claudius and his family
- Displays on Roman family life, fashion, education, food and drink
- Finds from Roman Malta, including a skeleton from an Islamic-period cemetery
- Remains from the Roman and Islamic periods in the open area behind the house
Permanent exhibition
- Life in a Roman household – Objects and displays on the family, fashion, education, entertainment, food and drink of a Roman aristocratic household, with the mosaic floors and the statues of Claudius and his family.
- Founded
- 1882
- Operated by
- Heritage Malta
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
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| Reduced | €4.50Youths aged 12–17, senior citizens (60+), concessions and students |
| Children & teens | €3free up to age 5 · Children aged 6–11; infants aged 1–5 enter free. |
| Seniors | €4.50Senior citizens aged 60 and over. |
| Students & apprentices | €4.50Concessions and students. |
| Heritage Malta Multisite Pass (valid for 30 days from first use) | €60Family pass €130. Not valid for Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum or Valletta Underground. |
Heritage Malta members and passport holders enter free. Combined tickets with other Heritage Malta sites in Rabat are sold through the Heritage Malta online shop.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
A ramp next to the forecourt gate leads to the automatic main door, and a lift takes wheelchair users down to the mosaic floors. There is an accessible toilet with a wall-mounted nappy changing table, and two free blue badge parking spaces in front of the entrance. Some objects in display cases may not be visible below a height of 81 cm. Assistance dogs are welcome; pets are not permitted.
Kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
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- Baby changing facilities
A wall-mounted nappy changing table is in the accessible toilet.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Rabat 1 / Rabat 2 · 3-min walk
The closest bus stops are “Rabat 1” and “Rabat 2”, about 3 minutes’ walk away. The North Route of the Hop-on Hop-off bus stops at the main gate of Mdina, from where the museum can be reached on foot.
By car
Free parking
Free public parking bays line the surrounding streets, and free public car parks are opposite the museum and in the Mdina Ditch. Coaches and minivans have designated drop-off areas next to the site.
- Accessible parking
Street signs from Saqqajja and the centre of Rabat point the way to the museum.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Lockers
Gift shop at reception with books, jewellery and souvenirs; lockers are available.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Information panels are in Maltese and English; gallery site sheets in Italian, Spanish and French are available from reception, and a guidebook can be bought in the shop. Access to the display area is through turnstiles. |
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