Visit to the museum of “Villa Torlonia” and social dinner at “La Limonaia”

September 17, 2009

After 20:00

We will first visit The Casino Nobile, a small but excellent museum devoted to pieces of statuary from the Torlonia collection found in the Villa. Much of the collection still belongs to the family and is conserved in the palace in “Via della Lungara”.

The pieces displayed give a close idea of how the Torlonia family, in particular Giovanni (1756–1829) and his son Alessandro (1800–80), were figures in the field of art collecting for almost a century. Art collecting was a practice that had originated in the fifteenth century when distinguished families in Rome began to adorn their residences with fine works of art and furnishings.The final section of the museum is the reconstructed Bedchamber of Giovanni Torlonia (1872–1938), with the pieces of furniture that were used by Benito Mussolini during the period he resided in the Villa (1925–43). After the visit to the Museum, we’ll go to La Limonaia restaurant, which is the last born, or “reborn” building in Villa Torlonia. It is a beautiful old farmhouse flavor with exposed beams and windows overlooking the garden, used as a restaurant, where are settled up simple and modern furnishings, which do not affect the charm of the place. The most extraordinary thing, however, is outdoors. Immersed in the gardens of one of the ancient parks of Rome, under the umbrellas and light candles, eat in the garden of ‘’La Limonaia’’ is really enjoyable. The menu is absolutely complete in every way. Pizza, fried, grilled meat, fruits and cakes, are pleasant-tasting and make our dinner really special.

The history of the Villa

When Giovanni Torlonia inherited the title of Marchese in 1797, to confirm his new status he purchased Villa Colonna (formerly Villa Pamphilj) on Via Nomentana and commissioned Giuseppe Valadier to renovate the property to raise it to the standard of the other villas belonging to noble families in Rome. Between 1802 and 1806 Valadier turned the main building into an elegant palace, transformed the small Casino Abbati into a very gracious palazzina (today the Casino dei Principi), and built the Stables and an imposing entrance. He also laid out the park with symmetrical, perpendicular avenues around the palace, and the view to the north from the building in line with one of the entrances to the Villa from Via Nomentana. Numerous works of Classical art, many of which were sculptural, were purchased to furnish the Villa. Following the death of Giovanni, in 1832 his son Alessandro commissioned the painter and architect Giovan Battisti Caretti to enhance and increase the size of the property. In addition to enlarging the size of the buildings, Caretti constructed several features in the park to suit the eclectic taste of the Prince: these were the False Ruins, the Temple of Saturn, the Tribuna con Fontana, an Amphitheatre, the Coffee-house, and the Chapel of Sant’Alessandro (the last three no longer exist). Yet despite the work and effort expended, Villa Torlonia was only on a few occasions the setting for magnificent social events for high-ranking foreign and Roman nobles that Alessandro had hoped for. In 1919 a large underground Jewish cemetery was discovered in the north-west area of the grounds. In 1925 the Villa was bestowed upon Mussolini as a residence, where he remained until 1943. The presence of the Duce did not bring substantial modifications: he lived in the Palace and used the Medieval House and the Lemon-house to show films and hold parties and cultural meetings. And a tennis court was set up on the Tournament Field. Nor did the Park undergo changes, with the exception of the creation of vegetable gardens during the war at the instigation of Mussolini’s wife. In June 1944 the entire property was occupied by the Allied High Command which remained there until 1947. The Villa was bought by the Municipality of Rome in 1977 and a year later it was opened to the public. A series of restoration projects was initiated in the 1990s in both the park and buildings: first the Casina delle Civette, then the Casino dei Principi, the southern section of the park, the Red House, and more recently the Lemon-house, Medieval House, Casino Nobile, Old Stables, and the north section of the park. Once the upcoming restoration of the Theatre and Moorish Conservatory have been completed, Villa Torlonia will have been returned to its original splendour.

For more information please visit the official website: http://en.museivillatorlonia.it/

How to arrive to Villa Torlonia

Via Spallanzani, 1a
00161 Roma


From Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo (near to our University):

  • Departure from roma viale dello scalo s. lorenzo , 1
  • walk 100 meters
  • go to stop SCALO S. LORENZO/TALAMO
  • take Line No 3 (THORVALDSEN) to 11 stops o 19 (RISORGIMENTO/S. PIETRO)3
  • ogni 3 min. 19 ogni 15 min.
  • get off at stop V.LE REGINA MARGHERITA/NOMENTANA
  • walk 250 meters
  • to roma via lazzaro spallanzani , 1

From Stazione Termini:

  • Departure from roma stazione termini , 1
  • walk 100 meters
  • go to stop TERMINI (MA-MB-FS)
  • take Line No 36 (PAMPANINI) to 5 stops 36 ogni 10 min.
  • get off at stop NOMENTANA/TRIESTE
  • walk 150 meters
  • to roma via lazzaro spallanzani , 1