Teatro di Roma - Teatro di Villa Torlonia

Il Teatro di Villa Torlonia has a long history; it was commissioned in 1841 by Prince Alessandro Torlonia to the architect Quintiliano Raimondi to celebrate his wedding with Teresa Colonna but, for different reasons, the works only ended in 1874.

The building, in addition to the large central hall, also had two other lateral ones used mainly to entertain guests during the prince's private parties. The theater project reflects the eclectic taste of the time with the coexistence of various styles: classical and imposing in the central body, northern European in the glass and cast iron greenhouse of the southern façade, Gothic, Moorish, Greek-Roman and Renaissance in the decoration of the halls of the side apartments. Almost all the paintings in the complex were made by Costantino Brumidi, a little-known artist in Italy, but famous in the United States where he had frescoed the Capitol in Washington.

After ups and downs, the Theater, together with the entire Villa Torlonia complex, was acquired by the Municipality of Rome in 1978.The damage caused by the Anglo-American occupation in the years 1944-47 and by decades of theft and abandonment had made the structure dilapidated and devoid of furniture. Thanks to the long and complex restoration work, directed by the Design Area of ​​Zètema Progetto Cultura under the control and scientific supervision of the Capitoline Superintendency, the structure has returned to its former glory and was reopened in 2013, returning it to citizens and tourists. Today the Villa Torlonia Theater, together with Teatro India and Teatro Argentina, is part of the Teatri di Roma circuit.

Photo credits: courtesy of Villa Torlonia Theater-Rome Theater official site