To mark International Women’s Day we look at Rome’s museums and archaeological sites that are run by women.
Everybody knows that Rome is home to some of the world’s greatest museums but not everyone is aware that the management of the city’s cultural heritage lies largely in the hands of women.
This is something to celebrate – and not just on Giornata Internazionale della Donna – as Italy strives to improve its gender equality record.
So who are the women in charge of Rome’s museums?
Federica Rinaldi is an archaeologist and cultural heritage manager who currently serves as the director of the Museo Nazionale Romano network of Roman museums. Appointed to the position in October 2025, she oversees one of Italy’s most prestigious cultural institutions which comprises Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Palazzo Altemps, and the Crypta Balbi (temporarily closed). Rinaldi previously served with the special superintendency of Rome and was the official in charge of the Colosseum within the Parco archaeologico del Colosseo which until recently was headed by Alfonsina Russo before she became the head of the culture ministry’s department for the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage (DiVa).
Federica Rinaldi
In 2016 Pope Francis appointed Babara Jatta as the first woman director of the Vatican Museums which includes the Sistine Chapel. A specialist in art history, Jatta has overseen multiple restoration projects, including the frescoes in the Raphael Rooms, and has organised a series of special events for the Vatican’s current Jubilee Year. She has also raised the profile of one of the world’s most prestigious museums and is the most prominent female administrator in the Vatican.
Barbara Jatta. Photo Huffington Post.
Galleria Borghese, home to a priceless collection of works by Bernini, Caravaggio and Raphael, is directed by professor of modern art history Francesca Cappelletti who took over in 2020 from the long-standing director Anna Coliva. Within her first few months Cappelletti acquired a Guido Reni painting for the Villa Borghese collection and since then has launched a series of new digital programmes and staged major exhibitions involving leading contemporary artists. Cappelletti is also one of the curators of the freshly opened Caravaggio blockbuster at Palazzo Barberini.
Francesca Cappelletti. Photo La Repubblica.
Edith Gabrielli is the first director of VIVE, the newly-created autonomous museum in the capital which combines the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia. A scholar of art history and museology, Gabrielli has a long career within the ranks of Italy’s culture ministry, becoming its youngest historic art director in 2010. She is currently overseeing a major restoration of the Vittoriano and the integration of advanced digital storytelling to enhance visitor accessibility. Gabrielli recently served as interim director of the Museo Nazionale Romano.
Edith Gabrielli
The Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea hosts Italy’s national collection of modern art and is run by Renata Cristina Mazzantini who recently in 2023 replaced Cristiana Collu after eight years at the helm. An architect and curator, Mazzantini is known for curating the Quirinale Contemporaneo project as well as numerous other cultural projects and exhibitions. Since her arrival at the national modern art gallery she has overseen several high-profile shows and has reinstated the GNAM acronym dropped by her predecessor, adding “C” at the end to indicate contemporary art (GNAMC).
Renata Cristina Mazzantini. Photo Alessandro Moggi – Il Giornale dell’Arte.
Maria Emanuela Bruni is a journalist and art historian who has served as the president of MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts, in Rome. Appointed in late 2024, she became the first woman to lead MAXXI, succeeding Alessandro Giuli following his appointment as minister of culture. Bruni previously broke gender barriers in 2008 as the first female head of the press office for the presidency of the Council of Ministers at Palazzo Chigi. With decades of experience in institutional communication and cultural diplomacy, she has coordinated multiple high-level international events. Bruni is currently overseeing an ambitious urban regeneration and expansion project called Grande MAXXI.
Maria Emanuela Bruni
