Roma Travel: Villa Torlonia

Just a hop, skip and jump from our Roman apartment is Villa Torlonia, which is mostly a sort of city park, but also contains 3 museums. Today was the last day for one of the exhibits at this site, so I trotted over there after lunch. Now I know what Romans do on sunday; they got to museums. We've been here since Wednesday and haven't seen that many people at either of the lovely local parks where we take the dog for her multiple walks a day. Today is the day for going to the park.

The museums are not just housed in the park, the homes themselves are part of the show.

This is where Musolini lived until 1943 with his family, while the nobleman who owned the villa moved to the 'Swiss cottage' on the property (which he had expanded and renovated). The renovations were accomplished with oodles of money in the Liberty style which included crazy amounts of stained glass and lovely woodwork.

Stained glass windows

Main Entrance, added when the 'prince' moved here in 1923

Decorative wood work of wheat that surrounds the entire room like a chair rail. 

Figurative stained glass of angels wings.

Ceiling supports are even decorated.

What's left of the gorgeous tile from the master bath. The caption states that 'they don't know who removed the rest of it'... really?

The master bedroom - used by 'the prince'. The original furnishings have disappeared, but the City of Rome had acquired pieces of the same style that are displayed. 

Stained glass room divider in the prince's bedroom.

Stained glass in the 'rose gallery', a small connecting hall between the Prince's bedroom and the guest quarters. 

Sure, have the snails hold up the roof...

Birds are a theme of this cottage, which originally had many owl themed articles which have since gone walkies. Now, the immovables like windows are what remain. 

The swallow sky lights leading down the exit stairs. 

Barbaini Bees

Guest bathroom

Stained glass screen in the guest room.

Swallows in the guest solarium.

Tile work in a spare room.

She was captioned; "Fate", but I think the set designers of Harry Potter Goblet of Fire must have seen it, because it reminds me of the mermaids from the prefects' bathroom....

Detail of a foot from an amazing artwork in the entry to the Owl Cottage. 

Tilework from the Owl cottage entry way floor. 

An owl in the 'owl room'

Another 'little owl' from that same room. 

The site is also the local home of an art collection reflecting the Romanesque style - 1910-194? - of modernist painters. The exhibit was of some of their work ranging from pen and ink caricatures to oil portraits to set paintings for opera. There are some nudes...

Carmen costume from the 1939 production.

Opera costumes from 1939-1943 productions. Robust ladies all. 

She's a ballerina - see any bones sticking out? 

She's a ballerina too - not skinny, and rather happy. The oblique photo is because of the lighting. 

"The Temptress" she's called. She also features on the posters and gallery guide. 

Check that look!

Too tired to care? 

Marcello!

Caribineri

All in all and enjoyable few hours just a few minutes walk from home.