Villa Farnesina 1927–1944:
Restoration Exhibition by Engineer Giovanni Massari

The Exhibition Villa Farnesina 1927–1944. Restoration Exhibition It reconstructed a little-known yet crucial period in the history of Villa Farnesina, when it served as the seat of the Royal Academy of Italy under the Fascist regime. Acquired by the State on February 15, 1927, after having been leased to Prince Luigi Ludovico Chigi, the Villa was designated in 1929 to house the cultural institution founded by Mussolini. Between 1928 and 1938, numerous restoration works were carried out by Alberto Terenzio and Giovanni Massari to adapt the building to its new functions, marking its definitive transition from a residential home to a representative building.

The exhibition documented these works and the historical, cultural, and political context in which they took place. Since 1944, Villa Farnesina, with its magnificent garden, has been assigned to the National Academy of the Lincei. Until 2008, the Villa housed the National Print Cabinet, now the National Institute for Graphics, which occupied most of the rooms on the first floor—spaces that were reopened to the public for the exhibition.