Villa Torlonia, Rome
The Villa Torlonia is a magnificent neo-Classical patrician house with landscaped English Picturesque gardens dating back to 1806.
The Villa Torlonia is a magnificent neo-Classical patrician house with landscaped English Picturesque gardens dating back to 1806. Mussolini rented it from the Torlonia family for one lira a year to use as his state residence from 1925 onwards. It was abandoned after 1947 and later restored in the 1990s. The Musei di Villa Torlonia is spread over 3 buildings - Casino Nobile, Casina delle Civette and Casino dei Principi.
The Casino Nobile is the main building, with a magnificent Ballroom and 19th century decorative elements to recreate the ambience of those times. In the basement, the air raid shelter built by Mussolini has been restored, as well as the false Etruscan Tomb discovered during the works. The Roman School Museum is on the second floor, and displays approximately 150 paintings, sculptures and drawings that showcase the Roman School creations. In the first half of the 18th Century the Torlonia family were leading collectors of works of art. This museum brings together some of their collection. You can also see the furniture used by Mussolini when he was in residence, as well as photos and films of him in the grounds of the Villa.
The neo-Cinquecento Casino dei Principi building holds the Roman School Archive of manuscripts, letters, diaries, books, catalogues and photographs which throw light on the Scuola Romana movement.
The Art Nouveau style Casina delle Civette is a museum dedicated to stained glass, showcasing a great collection of the art. This strange-looking, but delightful, building has undergone several transformations since its original construction as a rustic hideaway from the main villa in the park. It underwent a significant redesign in the early 1900s and again in 1917. The emphasis of the museum is on stained glass. The twenty rooms include 54 pieces of stained glass replaced, after restoration, in their original positions, 18 pieces of stained glass acquired and displayed on separate frames, and 105 sketches and preparatory cartoons for stained glass in churches in Rome.
Also on the grounds are 3rd - 4th century Jewish catacombs and thirteen garden pavilions representing exotic parts of the world.
