Villa Celimontana's 2025 Restoration: A New Dialogue Between City and Landscape

Villa Celimontana in Rome underwent a major restoration in 2025, focusing on the clivo (slope) connecting the Celio hill to the park. The project, costing €1.2 million, restored pathways, walls, green areas, and a historic fountain system. A new Giardino degli Agrumi was created on the second terrace, planting 40 trees of 15 Italian citrus varieties. Further work includes restoring the cypress circle around the Obelisco Mattei, the Viale delle Muse's holm oak rows, the neogothic Tempietto, and surviving artistic fountains. The villa's history dates to the 16th century when Ciriaco Mattei transformed a farm into a grand residence with statues, fountains, and an Egyptian obelisk. Architect Jacopo Del Duca, a Michelangelo student, designed the main building and hanging garden. In the 17th century, Girolamo Mattei added a French-inspired "star garden." Many ancient sculptures were sold in the 18th century, including pieces now in the Vatican Museums. In the 19th century, the property passed through Austrian, Spanish, German, and Dutch noble families before the Bauffremont family gave the garden its current "romantic" layout with winding paths, groves, and archaeological artifacts. In 1926, the palazzina became the headquarters of the Società Geografica Italiana, and the park opened to the public in 1928. The villa was also a stop on the Pilgrimage of the Seven Churches established by San Filippo Neri in the 17th century.