At Palazzo Massimo alle Terme you come face to face with ancient Rome, not as ruins, but as it truly was.

Start with the sculptures: the Boxer at Rest sitting there, bruised, battered and exhausted, so lifelike you almost expect him to breathe. Nearby, Augustus as pontifex maximus,  showing how Rome’s first emperor wanted to be seen. Then, the Discobolus, captured mid-motion, perfectly balancing strength and grace. And you can’t miss the Sleeping Hermaphrodite, that, at first glance, seems to have a soft, sensual female body. Until you walk around it and realize it’s both male and female at once. It plays with your expectations, inviting you to look twice and question what you think you see.

Upstairs, entire rooms from Roman villas are totally covered with frescoes. One of the most spectacular is the garden room of the Villa of Livia (yes, Augustus’ wife, basically Rome’s first “first lady”): trees, birds and lush greenery create a feeling of stepping into a calm, timeless landscape.

Untill the focus shifts to the extravagant world of Caligula, whose ships from Lake Nemi were essentially floating palaces, symbols of luxury and excess. You will learn how they were recovered through an brilliant archaeological and engineering effort.

This is not just a visit, but a deeper connection to a lost world.