Palazzo Merulana in Rome, Italy

After 20 years in the dark, Palazzo Merulana's white rooms lit up again on the 10th day of May 2018. The resplendent facade with big windows beckon every passer-by with its original grandeur from its construction in 1929. The building formerly housed the Sanitary Office before the city saw its decline with neglect and was boarded up for two decades. With a financing project of Elena and Claudio Cerasi Foundation and SAC, the building which belongs to the City of Rome has gone through a thorough makeover with the management of Coop Culture. If Via Merulana, 121 had been an eye sore for so long, it is now a shining new white building where art and gastronomy are combined together in four floors of exhibitions. 

Palazzo Merulana houses the art collection of the Cerasi Foundation, a collection mainly dedicated to the Scuola Romana and Italian art between the two world wars. On the ground, in the Sala delle Sculture, visible from the street through the buildings large windows are the works of Antonietta Raphael, Ceroli, Pugliese and Penone. From here the inner courtyard is accessible as well as the bookshop and the CafèCulture.

On the second floor, the works of Mafai, Donghi, De Chirico, Cambellotti, Capogrossi, Balla and Sironi. On the third floor, the Galleria del Palazzo is dedicated to contemporary art and which will be hosting temporary exhibitions. Going up to the fourth floor, there is the Attico, spacious and versatile with a kitchen that will be dedicated for events. Finally, there is the open-air terrace which will soon be furnished and made available for special events as well.

A visit to to see the collections in the upper floors costs €4 whereas access to the ground floor is completely free. Surrounded by impressive sculptures, CafèCulture is open from morning until evening for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and aperitif. The menu is healthy and gourmet based on simple traditional Italian cuisine using high quality ingredients. Some of the suppliers are Meraviglie in Pasta for the pasta, cheese gastronomic specialties from ProLoco D.O.L., hamburgers from Bottega Liberati, oil from Principe Pignatelli di Monte Roduni, while the desserts and bread from Cristalli di Zucchero and the wines from Casale del Giglio.  

Palazzo Merulana

Via Merulana, 121
00185 Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 0639967800
Email: info@palazzomerulana.it
Website: www.palazzomerulana.it
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PalazzoMerulana/

Opening Schedule:
Collections on Upper Floors:
Saturdays and Sundays: 10:00 to 20:00
Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays: 14:00 to 20:00 (mornings for groups & schools by appointments only)
Closed on Tuesdays

CafèCulture and Bookshop:
Open daily except Tuesdays, 8:30 to 20:00