Villa Torlonia's Casino Nobile restoration completed in Rome

The Casino Nobile of Villa Torlonia in Rome has undergone a comprehensive restoration, concluding in early 2026. The neoclassical villa, originally designed by Giuseppe Valadier for the Torlonia family in the early 19th century, later served as Benito Mussolini's official residence from the 1920s until July 1943. After a period of abandonment and Anglo-American occupation, the city of Rome purchased the complex in 1977 and began converting its buildings into museum spaces in the 1990s. Recent restoration work focused on the external facades, the terracotta altorilievo by Rinaldo Rinaldi depicting Bacchus returning from India, and the wooden window frames. The project was carried out by Zètema Progetto Cultura for the Sovrintendenza Capitolina, starting in October 2025. In September 2025, the Museo della Scuola Romana reopened on the top floor of the Casino Nobile with over 150 works from the interwar period, attracting more than 27,000 visitors since reopening. Additionally, the park has been revitalized with pathway renovations and tree safety measures, with a historical species replanting plan (including Quercus ilex, Pinus halepensis, Cedrus Libani) to be completed by February 2026. A bunker used as an air-raid shelter during WWII, built by Mussolini and Prince Carlo Torlonia, has been open to the public since 2024 via guided tours.