I'm interested in a new exhibit/tour of the Mussolini family Villa called Torlonia. It involves a guided tour where you "relive dramatic moments of an air raid through an immersive multimedia experience".
I am wondering if anyone has done this as they stress that access to the bunker is via "steep steps". This has me somewhat concerned as my legs are not the best. I'm a regular walker (2 - 3 mile daily walk at a brisk pace) but not sure how I'd do on steep steps. Does anyone have first-hand experience? I am emailing them directly for hopefully some clarification. Here is a link to the site if anyone would like to read about it: https://tinyurl.com/mrxbfbtn
Posted by
Chicago
2051 posts
We were there in March 2017, and Villa Torlonia was overgrown, dilapidated and deserted, and we could walk around the grounds unencumbered, looking in the windows at the exhibits. It was so cool, almost imagined Il Duce standing on one of the porticoes, arms crossed.
I do not remember any steep steps, except there might be staircases inside.
We will be in Roma next April and I cannot wait to visit!
Posted by
OP
New Jersey
212 posts
Thanks, Jay -- the villa and bunker were closed for several years and this past April they were reopened. We were in Italy in May but not on the right day to enjoy this particular site. We were told that English tours were only available on Saturdays. We are thinking of revisiting Rome as part of our 2025 trip but remain unsure as to the steepness of the steps that are emphasized on the website. Maybe you can report back in April as to your experience!
Posted by
Chicago
2051 posts
Just messaged with a dear friend that has dual citizenship and is in Rome right now. She said the spiffing-up of Torlonia is all part of the Jubilee 2025 prep. If you go there, nearby on via Nomentana is St. Agnesa and also St. Constanza, which we visited in 2017, which is 3rd century with some of the most beautiful mosaic I've ever seen.
My friend calls it her 'off the beaten path' tour. Just a bus ride north of Termini. I could do that stuff for a month and still not hit all the great places in Roma!
Posted by
OP
New Jersey
212 posts
Thanks for the follow-up, Jay. Yes, I tend to go for the off the beaten path sites and am also interested in anything related to WWII.
Our last visit (May 2024) we visited the Resistance Museum (https://www.museoliberazione.it/en/), not the best organized museum but I felt it was still worth the stop. Unrelated to WWII but definitely in the off the beaten path category we visited the Centrale Montemartini -- a museum described as "Gods clash with machines in a power plant regenerated as a museum". Very cool and we had the whole place practically to ourselves!
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1808 posts
I wonder why Mussolini’s bunkers were not completely demolished as Hitler’s Berlin bunkers were at the end of WW2.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15868 posts
Mussolini’s birth house is still there (in Predappio) Also a museum.
His crypt is still there at the monumental cemetery in the same town, and it is guarded by devout followers.
The place where he was shot dead, at Giulino di Mezzagra, across the lake from Bellagio, is still there with a plaque and plenty of fresh flower arrangements and religious memorabilia.
I guess Italians appreciated trains running on time, especially during this period of constant transit strikes.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
1808 posts
It was the best of times for those who choose to see it that way,
And it was the worst of times for everyone else.
Posted by
London
1207 posts
WWII tourism in general is not my bag at all, especially the sites associated with fascism. I had never really considered it until I started reading on this forum. It's interesting to hear about people wanting to visit some of the sites that come up in some of the country forums.
Apologies to the OP for sharing my irrelevant opinion.
I mentioned Bella Ciao in a post I deleted. If anyone doesn't know it, I'll link to a good version on Youtube to sing along to.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15868 posts
Gerry, I would say Italy has a lot of great sights to offer before someone coming all the way from across the ocean even considers visiting the architectural monuments to fascism, which I consider rather ugly, starting with the Santa Maria Novella station or the Artemio Franchi Stadium of Florence where Fiorentina plays (shaped like a “D” as in Duce), which was initially named after a fascist hero. For some reason the Superintendent of Fine Arts refuses to give permission to tear it down and replace it with a more modern one, maybe he is another lover of timely trains.