Mercati di Traiano – Museo dei Fori Imperiali

This excellent museum with a somewhat obscure entrance deserves at least half a day visit, to have a sense of the Roman Imperial forums that it conveys. With the excellent audioguide, the museum gives an excellent sense of the design and layout of the various forums, their temples, statuary, and spaces. At the same time, it leads one through Trajan’s market, the remains of a huge edifice in itself, and one gets the sense of how it managed to make it through the centuries.
The inclusion of couture gowns and accessories in each room covering the period from the 1950’s to present has one of Italy’s current sources of greatness providing a delightful counterpoint to the historical items. We found the same approach in the Borghese Gallery, to even better effect. It’s an unexpected treat.

New meets old. Enjoyed looking at the fashion exhibit along side the archeological finds.