***This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links at no extra cost to you

With its cutting-edge design and 312,000 square-feet of space located on the grounds of a former military barracks in Rome’s Flaminio district, the MAXXI Museum is Italy’s first national contemporary museum.

The name comes from the blending of the words Modern Art (or MA) and XXI, the number 21 in Roman numerals; this is no coincidence since the building’s clean, unadorned lines featuring white concrete walls, stark black steel stairs and a glass roof that filters in natural light are a fitting representation of 21st century aesthetics.

Designed by the Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win, in 2004, the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize, the building’s elegant curves and stunning interior spaces have been very much appreciated on an international level. MAXXI was awarded the prestigious Stirling Prize and was later declared World Building of the Year 2010 at the World Architecture Festival of Barcelona.

Officially called the National Museum of the XXI Century Arts, the building houses two separate museums — MAXXI Art and MAXXI Architecture – and the permanent collection of 300 works includes pieces by Balla, Morandi, De Chirico, and Andy Warhol, among others, providing a nice counterpoint to the classics that fill most of the city’s other museums.

But that’s not all – MAXXI is also a research workshop where, alongside exhibits on contemporary art and architecture, design, fashion, film and advertising are featured in a multidisciplinary cultural center.

CLICK TO ORDER TICKETS: MAXXI Museum Tickets, Rome