The history of the Villa Torlonia Theatre dates back to 1841 when it was commissioned by Prince Alessandro Torlonia to the Architect Quintiliano Raimondi to celebrate his wedding with Teresa Colonna, but for various and ominous reasons the works ended only in 1874.
In addition to the scenic spaces, provided with all the technical equipment, side rooms were built to entertain guests during the prince's private parties. The project reflects the eclectic taste of the time with the coexistence of different styles: classic and majestic in the central body, Nordic in the glass and cast iron greenhouse of the southern façade, Gothic, Moorish, Greek-Roman and Renaissance in the decoration of the rooms of the side apartments. Almost all the paintings of the theater were made by Costantino Brumidi, a great artist unknown in Italy, but famous in the United States where he frescoed the Capitol of Washington, work that earned him the nickname "Michelangelo of America".
The Theatre, as well as the whole complex of Villa Torlonia, was acquired by the Municipality of Rome in 1978. The damage caused by the Anglo-American occupation (1944-1947) and by decades of theft and abandonment made the structure run.down. The restoration and functional adaptation, directed by the Design Department of Zètema Progetto Cultura, were extremely complex but were carried out with total respect of the original theatre.
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