Nemi On the trail

Caligula's ships: the museum built for two Roman hulls

Nemi

Caligula had two floating palaces built on this lake. They were raised out of the mud, put in a purpose-built museum, and burned in the war — what is on show is what came through the fire.

Before you go. The museum is closed for restoration until 7 September 2026. Nothing to see inside before that date — check with them that it has reopened before you set off.

How the day goes

  1. Anchors, bronze roof tiles and the machinery that worked on board.
  2. Scale models of both hulls, and a stern outrigger rebuilt at full size.
  3. Votive material from Diana's sanctuary further round the shore.
  4. A stretch of the Roman clivus Virbii, kept inside the building.

The building has been closed for restoration work, so confirm it has reopened before you build a day around it.

Where it is

Nemi at its real position from Rome, with everywhere else we list behind it — so you can see how far out this one is.

Nemi, and where it is from Rome Nemi drawn at its real position relative to Rome, about 47 minutes by car. The faint dots are the other places we list, so you can see how far out this one is. 47 min Rome Nemi

Open it where the roads are

Takes you to Via Diana, 13-15, 00040 Nemi (RM), the address the operator publishes.

Getting there

Getting there, the comfortable way

  • 47 mindrive from the middle of Rome
  • 32 kmeach way
  • Rent a car for the day

    The day stays yours: you leave when you want, stop where you want, and come back when the light goes.

    • You pick it up in Rome and drop it back in Rome
    • No timetable to build the day around
    • The stops on the way are the good part, and they need a car

    Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Localrent, and anything about that booking goes through them.

    See prices on Localrent
  • Have a driver take you, door to door

    No parking to find, no wrong turns, and you leave when the day is done.

    • Picked up where you are staying, dropped back there
    • No parking to find and no ZTL to worry about
    • Nobody spends the day driving

    Affiliate link — you pay their price, never more, and they pay us. You book with Welcome Pickups, and anything about that booking goes through them.

    See prices on Welcome Pickups

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We have not verified this one yet. Everything below comes from the operator and we have not checked it — treat it as a lead, not as a listing.

Photograph by Deblu68, Wikimedia Commons — Public domain. Not this place: it shows what the day looks like, and will be replaced with the operator's own photograph or ours from the field.

Links marked affiliate pay us a commission — you pay the operator's own price and we never take your money. How we rank