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Villa Torlonia: Rome's park for lovers
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A young couple enjoy a sunny spring day at Rome's Villa Torlonia park, along the Via Nomentana, near the Policlinico Metro station. PHOTO: Dennis D. Jacobs
Stroll through Villa Torlonia park in Rome on a pleasant evening and you’re bound to see at least several couples rolling around on the grass, locked in love’s embrace.
These couples are oblivious to the swirl of life around them, and the Romans patronizing the park likewise take little or no notice of them.
Such public displays of affection no doubt would’ve been frowned upon in the days when the park was part of the estate of the wealthy Torlonia family.
Once a vineyard
Giovanni Torlonia purchased this land in 1796 from one of Rome’s most powerful clans, the Colonna, which had vineyards here. He then paid the noted Italian neoclassical architect Giuseppe Valadier to make the already grand-looking buildings and grounds even grander.
There are three main buildings on the grounds – the Casino Nobile (palace), the Casino dei Principi (House of the Princes), and the Casina delle Civette (Little House of Owls).
The main buildings
The Casino Nobile is an imposing structure that evokes the imagery of the Parthenon. The pediment above the building’s Ionic columns contains a terra cotta relief of Bacchus riding on a chariot pulled by tigers. In addition to the ballroom, the two middle floors of the Casino Nobile housed salons with frescoes.
The Casino dei Principi began as a modest vineyard building. Valadier created a floorplan that gave the interior a sumptuous and open feel, enhanced by wall murals of outdoor scenes and a vaulted ceiling painted as a false sky. The building also is notable for its magnificent mosaic floors.
The building’s royal name is the result of action by Pope Pius VII, who made Giovanni Torlonia a prince in 1803. The title was passed down to succeeding generations.
The Torlonia family maintained close ties to the Vatican and oversaw the finances of the Papal See during the 18th and 19th Centuries.
When Torlonia family members wanted to get away from the formal elegance and social requirements of the two main buildings, they escaped to the Casina delle Civette, originally called the Swiss Cabin because of its Alpine-like architecture. In 1908, it underwent a massive overhaul with additions and remodeling turning the humble Swiss Cabin into the “Medieval hamlet” desired by Giovanni Torlonia the Younger. He was particularly fond of owls, and they appeared extensively in the decorations and furnishings of the residence.
Mussolini at Villa Torlonia
In 1925, Italy’s fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, took control of Villa Torlonia, paying the Torlonias the princely sum of one Lira a year (equivalent to about 5¢). The Mussolini family lived here until 1943, when Mussolini was deposed and arrested. Allied troops occupied the property during the latter stages of World War II.
Mussolini’s reign ended disastrously for Italy, and the Italian people blamed him for the death and destruction the nation suffered during the war. No one seemed to care much about the villa associated with the unpopular former dictator and the building and grounds fell into disrepair.
The municipal government of Rome finally took control of the property in 1977 and converted it into a public park. Restoration work on the buildings began in earnest in the 1990s. Though still overshadowed by the larger and more extravagant Villa Borghese, today Villa Torlonia is one of Rome's most popular parks for the young and the young at heart.
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