Italy's leading heritage group is pushing for a new site for the museum as construction begins in the Villa Torlonia after 20 years
March 17 2025, 2.56pm GMT
Plans for the museum at the Villa Torlonia have been in the pipeline for two decades. The estate, set in sprawling gardens, features an opulent theatre, a spacious greenhouse adorned with Moorish designs and a "Swiss cabin" known for its stained-glass windows depicting flowers, owls and natural scenes.
Oreste Rutigliano, president of the Rome branch of Italia Nostra, argued that the museum's futuristic design clashed with the surrounding architecture, that its location was too hidden and that nearby streets were too narrow for tourist buses. He also cited a September 2023 survey that revealed underground cavities and a high water table, leading to concerns about land stability.
"We vehemently oppose this project," Rutigliano said. "We have opposed it for 20 years."
Mussolini rented the villa from Giovanni Torlonia in 1925 for a nominal annual fee of one lira — less than a cent in today's money. It remained his official residence for 18 years, during which he built two air-raid shelters on the site and hosted dignitaries, including Mahatma Gandhi in 1930, in its ballroom.
Benito Mussolini with his children at the villa in 1935. He lived there until he was ousted in 1943
FIRESHOT/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES
Jewish underground cemeteries were discovered beneath the Villa Torlonia during excavations in 1918.
Rome's city council first announced plans for the museum in 2005, but construction has been delayed by administrative hurdles, proposals to relocate it to the Fascist-era EUR neighbourhood in the south of the city and the pandemic. The project gained momentum two years ago when Giorgia Meloni's government allocated €10 million for its construction.
The villa's association with Mussolini — who introduced racial laws in 1938 excluding Jews from certain professions and intermarriage, before the Nazi puppet Italian Social Republic deported Jews to death camps — makes it a potentially powerful location for the museum.
The greenhouse adorned with Moorish designs. Below, the ballroom
ALAMY
However, local residents have long opposed the project. "We've been fighting to preserve the villa from real estate developers for 50 years, well before anyone wanted to build the museum," said Dario Quintavalle, a local.
In response to concerns about land stability, about 50 residents challenged the project in court. Some also expressed fears that the site could attract crime after pro-Palestinian graffiti and excrement were smeared on construction cabins last month.
The court ultimately approved the project after the city council submitted documents proving the land's stability. A council spokesman said: "Work resumed after the court's decision, but the council is ready to listen to Italia Nostra's concerns."
Rutigliano suggested relocating the museum to a more symbolically significant and accessible site, such as Tiburtina railway station, where an installation marks the platform from which Jews were deported to Auschwitz in 1943.
He said: "I understand that after 20 years, finding another location is difficult, but we will continue to push for it while we still can."
Dario Quintavalle
