Official Information
Official website: https://museonazionaleromano.beniculturali.it/crypta-balbi/
Online tickets: https://portale.museiitaliani.it/b2c/buyTicketless/3554d4d2-5596-4cca-8b4e-00e00978fda2
Address: Via delle Botteghe Oscure 31, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Google map: View on Google Maps
Opening Hours
The site is currently affected by major archaeological and restoration works. As of mid-2025, general museum visits are suspended and limited visits take place only on Saturdays at 10:30 and 12:00 as part of the Crypta Balbi cantiere aperto project, by advance reservation. Check the official site for current schedule and conditions before planning a visit.
Crypta Balbi is the most explicitly urban-archaeology focused of the National Roman Museum’s four sites. It occupies part of the block between Largo di Torre Argentina and Piazza Venezia, where in the late first century BC the theatre of Lucius Cornelius Balbus stood. The crypta in question was the large porticoed courtyard behind the theatre, a covered space where spectators could stroll and rest during breaks in performances. Over the centuries, the area was transformed by new buildings, workshops, religious foundations and houses, creating a complex stratigraphy that the museum uses as a case study for the evolution of Rome from the imperial age through the Middle Ages and into the modern period. The archaeological remains include segments of the original portico, sections of the theatre, late antique structures and medieval installations such as kilns and storage pits. In the museum displays, finds from the excavations are arranged not simply by type or artistic value but by phase of occupation, so visitors can see how the material culture of the neighbourhood changed as political power, economy and religion shifted.
Pottery, glass, coins, building materials and everyday objects show continuity and breaks in trade networks and habits of consumption. When fully open, the site offers guided routes through the underground areas and the above-ground exhibition spaces, with models and reconstructions helping to visualise missing structures. At the moment, however, Crypta Balbi is in the middle of a substantial program of excavation and conservation funded through Italy’s cultural investment plans. The museum has launched a cantiere aperto initiative, which on specific Saturdays lets small groups, by reservation, visit parts of the active archaeological work with professional archaeologists explaining methods and discoveries.
This makes the site especially appealing to travellers who are more interested in how archaeology is done today than in polished marble statues. Because conditions in an active dig can change and access is tightly controlled, it is crucial to rely on the official museum website and institutional announcements for the latest information on dates, times and booking procedures, and to build Crypta Balbi into an itinerary only once you have confirmed availability.