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Palaces & Villas, Rome

The Mussolini's house - Rome
The Mussolini's house
by sikorka
Palaces & Villas tips and photos posted by real travelers and Rome locals.
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• 27 Reviews

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Palaces & Villas: Michelangelo's House
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  • icunme
  • Updated By icunme on May 22, 2006
  • Rome Page by icunme
  • Facade of Michelangelo's house - Rome
    Facade of Michelangelo's house
    by icunme
    The large avenue which today connects Porta S. Pancrazio with Gianicolo is embellished by the facade of the Renaissance house (it is only the facade hiding a water reservoir) that was once the facade of the house where Michelangelo lived. It was located near Macel de' Corvi at the foot of Campidoglio when it was his residence. Michelangelo preferred to live there rather than near the Vatican to have a greater privacy. The building was pulled down with the whole area towards the end of the XIXth century and the facade was rebuilt on the street (Via delle Tre Pile) leading to Palazzi del Campidoglio, but in 1941 the need to enlarge this street led to a second move of the facade to its current location.

    Photo and reference text by permission Robert Piperno for non-commercial purpose only

  • Other Contact: Porta S. Pancrazio and Gianicolo
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    Palaces & Villas: The Magic Door
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  • nightpassage
  • Updated By nightpassage on July 14, 2004
  • Rome Page by nightpassage
  • Palaces & Villas - Rome
    by nightpassage
    The Magic door is located in Piazza Vittorio, not far from Termini Station. It is what remains of Villa of Marquis Palombara who lived in the second half of XVII century, he was friend of astrologers and alchemists and he wanted to create the philosophical stone. One day an alchemist called Giuseppe Francesco Borri asked Palombara financial aid and the possibility to make researches in his laboratories. The Marquis gave him what he asked and Borri worked hard and in great secret for a long time. One day he disappeared leaving some gold and a parchment with obscure latin formulae, which they believed was the secret to make gold. The Marquis called all the greatest scientists of the time to try to solve the mistery of the parchment, but with no luck, so he decided to engrave the formulae on the door in case some passing by might be able to decipher them. The door is still there so if you want to give a try to solve the mistery... go ahead!

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    Palaces & Villas: Villa Torlonia - Mussolini's home - a dark history
  • Tip Rating:
  • icunme
  • Updated By icunme on May 28, 2007
  • Rome Page by icunme
  • Villa Torlonia view from the oblisk - Rome
    Villa Torlonia view from the
    oblisk
    by icunme, 4 more photos
    Begun by Giuseppe Valadier in 1802, this was the home of Mussolini in the twenties. It became a part of the public park system in 1978. It deteriorated extensively due to vandalism.
    In the second half of the XVIIIth century Giovanni Raimondo Torlonia, son of a French merchant, founded his bank, and became one of the wealthiest Roman families. Riches brought nobility and the need for appropriate villas and adornments. In 1802 they commissioned Luigi Valadier. Numerous structures emerged including a Swiss Chalet that was to become a medievel building and the Tempio Saturno. Numerous works of classic art, in great part scultoree, were acquired in order to furnish the Villa. One small part of these is still visible inside of the Museum of the Casino of the Principles (the main Villa structure). Painstaking restoration is underway in the interior.

    When I was there today (July 26, 2006) the entire property showed the renovation and restoration efforts in progress. Now beautifully restored (May 2007) the building holds period sculpture, furnishings, and paintings as well as an anti air-gas shelter and an anti air-raid bunker!

    "Limonata" is a quaint cafè found in the park, 20 meters from the Villa.

    Photo 2 - In 1842 Prince Alessandro Torlonia embellished the gardens with two brand new obelisks, cut in a marble quarry near Lago Maggiore in northern Italy and brought to Rome by ship, in a sort of repetition of the transportation of the Egyptian obelisks carried by the Roman emperors.
    Photo 3 - Another structure being rennovated on the grounds.
    Photo 4 - Remains of the original Tempio Saturno.
    Phtoo 5 - View from main Villa Torlonia toward street.

    Beneath the park there are Jewish catacombs, made up of two cemeteries dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The walls are decorated with ornate Hebraic paintings and symbols.

    Location: via Nomentana 70, via Siracusa, via L.Spallanzani

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    Palaces & Villas: French Embassy at Palazzo Farnese
  • Tip Rating:
  • icunme
  • Updated By icunme on September 25, 2006
  • Rome Page by icunme
  • The French Embassy - Palazzo Farnese - Rome
    The French Embassy - Palazzo
    Farnese
    by icunme, 1 more photos
    It is generally accepted that one cannot tour the Palazzo Farnese -- not so - difficult, yes - impossible, no - worth the effort to visit - absolutely!

    Palazzo Farnese is a prominent High Renaissance palace in Rome and the current home of the French Embassy in Italy.

    The Palazzo was inherited from the Farnese by the Bourbon kings of Naples, from whom the French government purchased it in 1874. Though the government of Mussolini ransomed it in 1936, the French Embassy remains, under a 99-year lease.

    The palazzo was redesigned in 1534 and 1541, modified under Michelangelo after Sangallo's death in 1546 onwards and completed by Giacomo della Porta in 1589. Several main rooms were frescoed with elaborate allegorical programs including a series of frescoes on Hercules, and The Loves of the Gods by Annibale Carracci and other artists, 1597-1608. For generations the room with Herculean frescoes (Sala d'Ercole) housed the famous sculpture from Greco-Roman antiquity known as the Farnese Hercules.

    Photo 2 - Michelangelo's unfinished Farnese bridge over Via Giulia. (more photos on another tip) On the garden side, which faces the Tiber, Michelangelo proposed to give the palazzo's vast bulk some breathing room with a bridge to link the center of the garden facade with the Pope's villa, the Villa Farnesina on the Trastevere side.

    If you have an interest, contact the Embassy with your request - either in French or Italian (they will, most likely, not respond if you write in English):
    Virginie Pisa
    visitefarnese@france-italia.it
    Centre de ressources
    Tel : 06 68 89 28 18
    fax : 06 68 80 97 91
    www.france-italia.it

  • Phone: 06 68 89 28 18
  • Website: http://www.france-italia.it
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    Palaces & Villas: Villa Medici - now home to the French Academy
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  • icunme
  • By icunme on July 8, 2006
  • Rome Page by icunme
  • Villa Medici facing Borghese - Rome
    Villa Medici facing Borghese
    by icunme, 2 more photos
    Photo 1 - Villa Medici was erected in 1540 by Annibale Lippi for Cardinal Ricci da Montepulciano. It was acquired by Cardinal Alessandro de' Medici and the inner court reflects the mannerist taste for a rich decoration. It then became property of his relatives, the grand-dukes of Tuscany and the embassy of these sovereigns in Rome. In 1801 the French Academy of art was transferred there and this is still the use of the building. This brief history explains why the Villa has been so well preserved.

    Photo 2 - Villa Medici is has been home to the French Academy of art since 1801.
    I have always thought of Villa Medici as part of Villa Borghese. However, it does sit on the Pincio facing the top of Piazza Spagna next to Chiesa Trinita due Monti. With the facade facing Rome center from the Pincio, it has the look of a severe fortress with very limited decoration and only the little balcony gives any hint to the lavish interior.

    Villa vs Casino - "Casino" is literally a little house (i.e. the building) and "Villa" (most likely from vineyard i.e. the garden) means both i.e. a building with a garden.

    Photos and reference text by permission Roberto Piperno for non-commercial use only

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    Palaces & Villas: Theatrical Display at Villa Pamphili
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  • icunme
  • By icunme on June 16, 2009
  • Rome Page by icunme
  • Display in Casa dei Teatri - enlarge 2 enjoy! - Rome
    Display in Casa dei Teatri -
    enlarge 2 enjoy!
    by icunme, 4 more photos


    The Theatre now has a home in Rome

    The Casa dei Teatri, located in the historic Villino Corsini in Villa Pamphili, is the result of a project dedicated to live performances from a multidisciplinary view, combining study and training courses with those of "creating" and "seeing" performances. For this reason, collaboration between the Department of culture and the Biblioteche di Roma not only ensures a modern service for specialists as an excellent promotion of theatre culture for a larger public but a program open to research and reflection involving the scenic world.

    The Casa dei Teatri offers a unique scenario in Rome because of its original special collections and areas for exhibitions, meetings and projections and the coming opening of the multipurpose hall in the previous stables. Activities take place agreed upon with the Municipio Roma XVI and with the contribution of an important body such as the Ente Teatrale Italiano. The magnificent seventeenth century architecture houses study areas communicating with each other, to be used for exhibitions, meetings based on subjects and consulting facilities related to research, specialised studies and cultural investigations.

    The library of the Casa dei Teatri is highly specialised and houses the Giancarlo Sbragia fund which boasts a historical heritage of material for those who study live performances of great value. Carmelo Bene's Immemoriale is a centre whose goal is to preserve, spread and promote both written and sound documentation concerning the work that Carmelo Bene carried out.

    The Cinema Umberto Barbaro Library offers a large number of books and magazines, film scripts and stage designs, journals on the subject and photographs. During the summer, the activities of the Casa develop into a real and proper summer season offering music, theatre and performances for children on a large open air stage set up in the area in front of the Villino Corsini.

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    Palaces & Villas: Villa Celimontana
  • Tip Rating:
  • leics
  • By leics on April 1, 2008
  • Rome Page by leics
  • Hdden loos........ - Rome
    Hdden loos........
    by leics, 1 more photos
    The Celian Hill, although within easy walking distance of the Colosseum and the forum, is an entirely different experience. remarkably quiet and peaceful, with some lovely churches (see tips on Santo Stefano Rotondo and Santi Giovanni e Paulo), the Case Romane 'hidden' Roman houses/street and the lovely, shady park of Villa Celimontana.

    This is a nice place to take a picnic (there's a supermarket nearby in Largo Sanita Militaire, off Via Claudia), or a rest from the heat of midday. There are trees, and plants, and fountains (albeit rather small when I visited) , grassy slopes and a children's playground.

    And rather good free toilets, hidden away behind a super construction of ancient Roman stonework which makes a very pretty rockery!

    You can access the park from Clivio de Scauro, or from Via della Navicula (which follows on from Via Caudia).

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    Palaces & Villas: Villa Torlonia
  • Tip Rating:
  • sikorka
  • Updated By sikorka on December 31, 2006
  • Rome Page by sikorka
  • The Mussolini's house - Rome
    The Mussolini's house
    by sikorka
    Villa Torlonia was built in 1806 for a banker Giovanni Torlania, but nowadays it's remember mostly as a home of Mussolini, who lived there in the 1920s.
    After the IIWW the villa was abandoned and even today some its parts need to be reconstructed.

    There is free guided tour organized around the house, it lasts about half an hour and it's very interesting, so just ask at the entrance.

    Villa Torlonia is a bit far away from the center but it's worth your visit.
    The best way to get there form the center is to take metro B and get off on Bologna stop and later walk or take bust 62.

  • Other Contact: Via Nomentana 70
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    Palaces & Villas: Villa Farnesina
  • Tip Rating:
  • abarbieri
  • By abarbieri on February 2, 2008
  • Rome Page by abarbieri
  • Villa Farnesina (Tiber River side) - Rome
    Villa Farnesina (Tiber River
    side)
    by abarbieri, 4 more photos
    A must for Renaissance art/architecture lovers!!
    It is located on Via della Lungara 230 in the Trastevere area, just beside the Tiber river.
    It is not a huge place but it has great art works and many interesting stories/legends related to it:
    -Triumph of Galatea by Raphael
    -Loggia of Cupid and Psyche with Raphael's painting of the Three Graces
    -Salone delle Prospettive (frescoes - upstairs) by Baldassarre Peruzzi
    -The wedding of Alexander and Roxanne (upstairs) by Sodoma

    It is open only in the morning from 9am till 1pm Mon-Sat. Entrance fee is Euro 5 per person.
    Visitor's help desk can be contacted at tel. +39.06.68027267 or send a fax to +39.06.68027513

    More information on the web at:
    http://www.lincei.it/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=27

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  • Phone: +39.06.68027268 Ticket's office
  • Website: www.lincei.it
  • Other Contact: farnesina@lincei.it
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    Palaces & Villas: Piazza del Viminale
  • Tip Rating:
  • tompt
  • By tompt on February 1, 2004
  • Rome Page by tompt
  • Palaces & Villas - Rome
    by tompt
    A small piazza, but worth looking for. The Piazza is dominated by the Palazzo Viminale, home to the Ministery of Internal Affairs.
    Giovanni Giolitti, prime minister in the 1910's, decided to build a monumental construction joining together the two offices of the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Internal Affairs.
    Giolitti wanted to build the new Ministry near the Quirinale and the Parliament. So Viminal Hill was choosen. Architect Manfredo Manfredi got the asignment.

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