The story begins in June 1940. Until then non-belligerent, Italy entered the yoke of the Second World War. At the time, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini quickly began building air raid shelters at Villa Torlonia, his residence since 1929, in Rome. The fascists undertake the construction of three underground structures for Mussolini and his family. The dictator first established two, one of which was a transformation of his wine cellar into a fortified labyrinth. But over time, another - more important and ambitious - is thought of. Mussolini planned to build a bunker in front of the Casino Nobile, one of the buildings attached to his Roman residence.
Built more than six meters underground and protected by more than 4 meters of reinforced concrete, this air raid shelter could have become the most resistant in Italy. The work, begun in December 1942, will never be completed. The “Duce”, arrested in July 1943, then shot in 1945, will never have the opportunity to use it. First opened in 2006, the bunker was closed two years later, before experiencing temporary reopenings over the years. In 2021, it was closed to visitors again due to the Covid-19 crisis and associated health measures. It has just reopened its doors.
Organized guided tours
Since April 5, visitors can now tour the bunker and air raid shelters at Villa Torlonia. After major renovation and development work, a new visitor route has been completely reimagined. The structure now includes a multimedia exhibition on Rome during World War II. 50-minute guided tours, available in Italian, English or French, are also organized in the underground passages and Mussolini's unfinished bunker.
This reopening comes as Rome will finally have its own Holocaust museum, built on land adjoining the Villa Torlonia park. In mid-March, the far-right government of Georgia Meloni gave the green light to carry out such a project. As a reminder, the Italian capital was the scene of a roundup of Jews in 1943. On October 16, 1943, German troops, supported by officials of Mussolini's fascist regime, carried out a roundup in the former ghetto of Rome . More than 1000 Jewish people were sent to the Auschwitz camp.
Please note, the bunker is not accessible for people with physical disabilities. It is also not recommended for people suffering from claustrophobia. The entrance ticket, bookable on the Villa Torlonia website, costs 12 euros for a full price and 6 euros for a reduced price.