Fodor's Expert Review Villa Torlonia
Built for aristocrats-come-lately, the Torlonia family—the Italian Rockefellers of the 19th century—this villa became Mussolini's residence and now serves as a public park. The Casino Nobile, the main palace designed by architect Giuseppe Valadier, is a grand, Neoclassical edifice, replete with a gigantic ballroom, frescoed salons, and a soaring temple-like facade. While denuded of nearly all their furnishings and art treasures, some salons have important remnants of decor, including the reliefs once fashioned by the father of Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Antonio Canova.
A complete contrast is offered by the Casina delle Civette (Little House of Owls), a hyper-charming example of the Liberty (art nouveau) style of the early 1900s. The gabled, fairy tale–like cottage-palace now displays majolica and stained-glass decorations, including windows with owl motifs—a stunning, oft-overlooked find for lovers of 19th-century decorative arts. Temporary exhibits are held in the... READ MORE
Built for aristocrats-come-lately, the Torlonia family—the Italian Rockefellers of the 19th century—this villa became Mussolini's residence and now serves as a public park. The Casino Nobile, the main palace designed by architect Giuseppe Valadier, is a grand, Neoclassical edifice, replete with a gigantic ballroom, frescoed salons, and a soaring temple-like facade. While denuded of nearly all their furnishings and art treasures, some salons have important remnants of decor, including the reliefs once fashioned by the father of Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Antonio Canova.
A complete contrast is offered by the Casina delle Civette (Little House of Owls), a hyper-charming example of the Liberty (art nouveau) style of the early 1900s. The gabled, fairy tale–like cottage-palace now displays majolica and stained-glass decorations, including windows with owl motifs—a stunning, oft-overlooked find for lovers of 19th-century decorative arts. Temporary exhibits are held in the small and elegant Il Casino dei Principi (The House of Princes), designed in part by Valadier.
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