Mussolini bunker in Rome closes indefinitely after management contract expires

The Mussolini bunker beneath Villa Torlonia in Rome will close indefinitely after the management contract held by Sotterranei di Roma expired. The association announced that the Soprintendenza refused an interim extension, forcing the closure despite 12,000 visitors in two years and over 2,500 students who toured the site. The bunker, actually three underground shelters built between 1940 and 1943, had been restored and reopened in 2014. The last guided tour is scheduled for October 29, 2016. The site will remain closed until a new public tender is issued and a new manager appointed. The closure removes a piece of contemporary history from Rome's cultural scene, which had recently been revitalized, including a 2015 site-specific project by German artist Nasan Tur.