Villa Adriana opens new museum route in Mouseia with restored ancient sculptures

Villa Adriana, the UNESCO World Heritage site near Tivoli, inaugurated a new exhibition route in its Mouseia (Canopus Museums) on October 21, 2025, opening to the public the following day. The route, developed under the direction of Andrea Bruciati (whose mandate ended in spring 2025 after eight years of restorations), now includes eight sequential rooms displaying significant finds from archaeological excavations, including Caratids, imperial portraits, and a sculptural group of Scylla devouring Odysseus's companions from the Canopus area. For the first time, a high-quality bigio marble sculpture of two reclining figures from the Niobid cycle is visible after restoration. The lower floor, previously inaccessible, now houses a substantial part of the statuary recovered from Canopus. Other highlights include restored frescoes from the Macchiozzo area, and Egyptian-inspired artifacts such as a Horus and a Sphinx from the Palestra and Antinoeion. The project was funded by PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) financing for museum accessibility, which allowed consolidation of Roman vault decorations and revision of the dehumidification system. The route is open daily from Monday to Sunday. The new path complements the existing Yourcenar route, which reopened the historical connection between the Greek Theatre and the Temple of Venus, and the restoration of water basins at Canopus, Pecile, and Maritime Theatre.