 The Centrale Montemartini is one of the most fascinating museums you will find in Rome. Where else can you see ancient marble statues rubbing shoulders with heavy industrial machinery? Since 1997, Rome's first public power plant has been home to over 400 ancient Roman sculptures from the collection of the Musei Capitolini. In the entrance hall a marble statue of Aphrodite stands in front of a massive cast-iron extraction pump, which bears the name of its maker Franco Tosi. This juxtaposition of two entirely different worlds sets the tone for the whole museum. The power plant, which was built in 1912 by Giovanni Montemartini, once provided enough electricity for half of Rome’s street lights.  Comments are closed.
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Blogging about Rome,
its art, history and culture. My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
small-group walking tours of Rome. Search Walks in Rome:
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October 2020
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