# MAXXI, Rome

> MAXXI is Italy's National Museum of 21st-Century Arts in the Flaminio district, housed in Zaha Hadid's 2010 building. The building is the star: curving concrete galleries, interlacing black staircases and a glass roof. Inside are changing exhibitions of contemporary art and architecture. Tickets run about €12–15; it opens Tuesday to Sunday. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/maxxi

- City: [Rome](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome), Italy
- YesGo score: 32/100 (Yes, if nearby)
- Time on site: 2 h
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Ticket: ≈ €12–15, depending on exhibitions
- Opening hours: Tue–Sun ≈ 11:00–19:00
- Closed: Mondays
- The piazza: Free — with a café and installations
- Time needed: 1.5–2 hours
- Location: Via Guido Reni 4A; tram 2 from Piazzale Flaminio
- Coordinates: 41.92807, 12.46648
- Facts checked: 10.11.2026

## Key facts

- **2010** — the museum opened in Zaha Hadid's building (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Stirling Prize** — won by the building in 2010 (source: English Wikipedia)
- **2 museums** — MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture under one roof (source: MAXXI website)
- **Concrete and glass** — curving galleries under a louvred glass roof (source: English Wikipedia)
- **Flaminio** — the district near Renzo Piano's Auditorium and the Olympic Village (source: English Wikipedia)

## Zaha Hadid's building

**Zaha Hadid** designed MAXXI, and the building, opened in **2010**, is the main reason to come. It flows like a riverbed: long **concrete galleries** curve, cross and overhang each other, while a **louvred glass roof** filters light in soft bands. In the central atrium, **black staircases** hang in mid-air — one of the most photographed spots of 21st-century Rome.

It won Britain's **Stirling Prize** for the year's best building. Outside, a massive cantilever with a panoramic window juts over the piazza, as if about to lift off.

## Exhibitions

Two museums share the building: **MAXXI Art**, for contemporary art, and **MAXXI Architecture**, with archives and shows on 20th- and 21st-century architecture. There's no permanent display in the usual sense — the galleries host **changing exhibitions** of painting, installation, video, photography, design and architects' projects. Check the programme online before you go; it also sets the ticket price.

## Who was Zaha Hadid?

**Zaha Hadid** (1950–2016) was a British-Iraqi architect and the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize. Nicknamed the 'queen of the curve', she avoided right angles in favour of flowing lines; her other works include Baku's Heydar Aliyev Centre and London's Aquatics Centre. She won the MAXXI competition in 1998, and the decade-long build made it a symbol of a bold new Rome beside the ancient one.

## How the visit works

You enter through a glass foyer with the ticket desk, bookshop and café. From here **five galleries** on three levels curve like tubes, linked by stairs and ramps, so every visit feels a little different; Gallery 5 at the top ends in a window over the rooftops of Flaminio.

## What to see

- **The atrium's black stairways** — the museum's signature shot.
- **Gallery 5** — the top gallery with its panoramic window.
- **Temporary exhibitions** — art, architecture, photography.
- **The piazza** — free, with installations and a café.
- **Bookshop** — architecture and design titles.
- **Renzo Piano's Auditorium** — 10 minutes away.

## The Flaminio district

MAXXI sits in **Flaminio**, a calm district north of the centre. Nearby are Renzo Piano's **Auditorium Parco della Musica**, three beetle-shaped concert halls, the **Ponte della Musica** over the Tiber and the 1960 Olympic Village. It's modern Rome without the crowds.

The **piazza in front** often hosts installations, and summer brings outdoor concerts and cinema. It and the café are free — sit and watch the building.

> **Pair it with the Auditorium** Renzo Piano's Auditorium is a 10-minute walk away: by day you can wander its roofs and open-air amphitheatre for free, and in the evening catch a concert. Half a day of modern architecture, nothing like historic Rome.

## How to get to MAXXI

1. Metro line A to **Flaminio**, then tram **2** to Apollodoro — 10 minutes.
2. Buses 53, 280 and 910 to Via Guido Reni or Via Flaminia.
3. From [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo), 25 minutes' walk up Via Flaminia.
4. The Auditorium Parco della Musica is 10 minutes away on foot.

## Is MAXXI worth it?

Yes, if contemporary architecture and art interest you, or you've done ancient and Baroque Rome and want a contrast. Hadid's building impresses even people who skip the exhibitions. If you love only the classics, spend the time in the centre.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Check the exhibition programme
- [ ] Make sure it isn't a Monday
- [ ] Find the black stairways in the atrium
- [ ] Go up to Gallery 5's panoramic window
- [ ] Walk on to the Auditorium

## Rome's museums: compare and choose

Museums in Rome rated by YesGo.

- [Sistine Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/sistine-chapel) — YesGo score 64/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25
- [Castel Sant'Angelo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/castel-sant-angelo) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €15–20
- [Domus Aurea](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/domus-aurea) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ≈ €18, with VR ≈ €26
- [Ara Pacis](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ara-pacis) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ €13–15
- [San Luigi dei Francesi](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/san-luigi-dei-francesi) — YesGo score 47/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free
- [Galleria Borghese](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/galleria-borghese) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €18
- [Vatican Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/vatican-museums) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €25
- [Capitoline Museums](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/capitoline-museums) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €15–19.50
- [Baths of Diocletian](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/baths-of-diocletian) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
- [Galleria Doria Pamphilj](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/doria-pamphilj) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ≈ €16–18
- [Palazzo Farnese](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palazzo-farnese) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · Paid, booking only
- [Imperial Fora](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/imperial-fora) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15
- [Palazzo Barberini](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palazzo-barberini) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €15
- [Villa Farnesina](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/villa-farnesina) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ €12
- [Palazzo Massimo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/palazzo-massimo) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €10–12 combined ticket
- [MAXXI](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/maxxi) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €12–15
- [Ostia Antica](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/ostia-antica) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ≈ €12–18

## Popolo to Flaminio

Piazza del Popolo, then up Via Flaminia to MAXXI and Renzo Piano's Auditorium.

1. [Piazza del Popolo](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/piazza-del-popolo) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free
2. [MAXXI](https://yesgo.io/italy/rome/maxxi) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ≈ €12–15

## Don't mix it up

MAXXI isn't MACRO, the city's contemporary art museum in Nomentano, nor the National Gallery of Modern Art by Villa Borghese, which covers the 19th and 20th centuries.

## Tips

- The building itself is the main exhibit.
- The piazza and café are free.
- Closed on Mondays.
- Renzo Piano's Auditorium is nearby.

## Questions

### How much are MAXXI tickets?

About €12–15, depending on exhibitions.

### What are the opening hours?

Tuesday–Sunday around 11:00–19:00; closed Monday.

### Who designed MAXXI?

Zaha Hadid; it opened in 2010.

### How do I get to MAXXI?

Metro A to Flaminio, then tram 2 to Apollodoro.

### What is there to see?

The building itself, with its floating black stairways, and changing art and architecture exhibitions.

### How long do you need?

1.5–2 hours.

## How we checked

Building history and museum structure from English Wikipedia and the MAXXI website. Prices and hours weren't confirmed at the time of checking — hence the 'checking' badge.

## Sources

- MAXXI official website
- English Wikipedia, MAXXI

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