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

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