Extension of the opening of the Casino Nobile in Villa Torlonia

Having been restored by the commitment of the Municipality of Rome, Assessorato alle Politiche Culturali, Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali – Direzione Edilizia Monumentale, the Casino Nobile, the main building in the Villa, is finally able to exhibit to the public its elaborate decoration, assortment of paintings so different in theme, genre and style, and the magnificence of its rooms and reliefs.
The Casino dates back a long way and has undergone various transformations. At the end of the eighteenth century it was bought by Giovanni Torlonia and modified by architect Giovanni Valadier to be suitable as the home of the aristocratic family. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the Villa was further renovated, the park was enlarged and more buildings constructed. The Casino, the decoration of which a large number of talented artists worked on, was turned into a truly noble residence and the setting for social events. Later, the Casino Nobile experienced periods of alternating fortunes until it fell into a state of disrepair and abandon after World War II, and in 1978 it was bought up by the Municipality of Rome with the rest of the Villa.
Once it had been suitably fitted out, the Casino Nobile became the “Villa Museum”, the purpose of which was to recreate the magnificence of the original residence. It contains furniture and sculptures that belonged to the Torlonia family, and the ground-floor room holds the “memory” of the Villa, with the documentation of the property’s history from its golden period when it belonged to the Torlonia family until its recent restoration. The period includes the Fascist years when it was the residence of Benito Mussolini.
A permanent museum, devoted to the Roman School, will be created on the top floor of the building, which will hold works by the most representative artists in Rome during the first half of the twentieth century.
To mark the restoration of the Casino Nobile, a series of visits will be held from 22 March to 15 June 2006 to allow the public to admire the ground floor and piano nobile of the palace.
Booking for the visits is obligatory. Groups can number 20 at most. To book, call 06 820 59 127 between 9.30am and 7pm.