MACRO (Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma)

Description:

• Opened in a former brewery, this daringly avant-garde museum took over a striking industrial space near Piazza Fiume. Even Romans travel to see Rome's first contemporary art museum. "We're not all ancient," said the curator. "We can be on the cutting edge of moderno as well." There are galleries for temporary art shows, an art studio, a bookstore, and a cafe -- all a dynamic center for cultural activity. There is also a permanent collection of modern art.

  MACRO overflows into a cutting-edge annex, MACRO al Mattatoio housed in the city's former slaughterhouse in Testaccio, south of the center. The Testaccio annex, Piazza Orazio Giustiniani, is surrounded by an enclave of underground music clubs and late-night restaurants, so this MACRO here keeps houses in tune with the neighborhood -- 4pm to midnight Tuesday to Sunday.

• © Frommer's 2013