Amid Rome’s many blockbuster sites — the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Forum, for starters — it’s easy to forget that the Italian capital is home to more than a hundred museums. Some of the city’s most rewarding attractions are tucked behind quiet courtyards or hidden inside still-inhabited palaces, where your only other company is likely to be marble emperors and frescoed putti. Though we visited Rome in summer, we had these four museums almost completely to ourselves. And unlike their more-famous counterparts, advance booking is rarely required.

Palazzo Altemps

Though it’s just steps from Piazza Navona, Palazzo Altemps remains blissfully untouristy. We spent an almost suspiciously quiet morning at the 15th-century palace with an arcaded courtyard. There, we strolled through rooms full of ancient sculptures, including those of Roman gods, philosophers and emperors rendered in marble. One standout highlight is the Great Ludovisi Sarcophagus, an enormous stone coffin that depicts a feverish tangle of horses and warriors in remarkable detail. My companion commented that it felt like an ancient Roman “Guernica.” What a luxury, to have this masterpiece all to ourselves.

Palazzo Altemps 
Piazza di Sant’Apollinare 46. Tel. (39) 06-684-851