Villa Farnesina expands digital offerings with virtual tours and remote learning

Villa Farnesina, the Renaissance villa in Rome designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi for banker Agostino Chigi, has expanded its digital content during the pandemic. The villa, which began digitizing its collection during the first lockdown, now offers four online sections: virtual exhibitions, restoration insights, a resilience lab, and a digital loggia. The digital exhibitions section features past shows like 'Raffaello in Villa Farnesina: Galatea e Psiche' and 'Leonardo a Roma. Influenze ed eredità.' The restoration section highlights collaborations between the Accademia dei Lincei and the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, including a 2021 project on the Loggia di Galatea. The resilience lab documents past damage from humidity and traffic vibrations, notably a 1959 engineering solution by Gustavo Colonnetti that installed rubber pads under the Lungotevere Farnesina road. The digital loggia offers a 3D tour of Raphael's Loggia of Cupid and Psyche, with detailed descriptions of the frescoes. Additionally, the villa is hosting live remote lessons for schools and universities, led by guides or professors, with Q&A sessions with curators. These activities are free and organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.