Top 5 artworks in Rome

Italyhas offered the world many famous artists, from Da Vinci, to Michelangelo or Rafael. So it is only natural that some of their most famous works can now be admired in Rome, the capital of Italy.

1. The Sistine Chapel.

When Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to repaint the ceiling of the chapel, Michelangelo wanted to decline, saying that he considered himself to be a sculptor, rather than a painter. However, he accepted the project and completed this masterpiece with the help of only one apprentice, who was only allowed to mix his paints.

2. Pieta.

Also the work of Michelangelo, the Pieta is a very tragic sculpture, depicting Virgin Mary holding dead Jesus in her arms. Michelangelo sculpted this masterpiece in 1499, when he was only 25 years old. The statue is now found in Basilica di San Pietro. It is protected by a glass wall ever since a man attacked it with a hammer, destroying the Virgin’s nose and fingers.

3. Descent from the cross.

This painting is considered to be one of Caravaggio’s best works. It illustrated the moment when Jesus Christ was taken down the cross. Unlike Michelangelo’s Pieta, the Descent from the cross shows an old and tired Virgin Mary. The painting has diagonal accents, which add to the dramatic effect of the story it illustrates.

4. The Transfiguration.

It is considered to be the last painting of Raphael and at the same time, the most impressive one. The painting has two parts. The upper part shows the transfigured Christ floating in the sky, between Elijah and Moses. In the lower part, the apostles are trying to free a possessed child of his demon.

5 Apollo and Daphne.

This life-sized marble sculpture is the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It illustrated the story of Daphne and Phoebus (Apollo) from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Apollo is hit by Cupid’s love arrow and falls in love with Daphne, who denies the love of men. He chases her, promising everything to her, and as she cannot run anymore, she prays to father River and mother Earth to free her of her beauty. Even before finishing her prayer, she turned into a tree.

These are only five of the many masterpieces Rome has to offer its visitors. But Rome is like a huge outdoor museum, with works of art that can be found at every corner, such as the Colloseum, Fontana di Trevi or Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica.