Torlonia marbles, a treasure of history and beauty

(ANSA) - ROME, OCTOBER 12 - It is famous as the "collection of collections", a priceless heritage made up of treasures that take your breath away so much they are precious and that reflects the dream of a visionary man passionate about the classical world: after a complex journey not without difficulties, including the sanitary emergency of the last few months which blocked its path, the exhibition "Torlonia marbles. Collecting masterpieces" finally reaches the collective fruition, set up in the new exhibition venue of the Capitoline Museums in Villa Caffarelli from October 14th to June 29th.

    The result of the collaboration between public and private institutions - the Mibact, the Torlonia Foundation, the Municipality of Rome and Bulgari's contribution for the restorations -, the exhibition, curated by Salvatore Settis and Carlo Gasparri, presents 92 works, selected from the 620 marbles cataloged and belonging to the Torlonia collection, the most prestigious private collection of ancient sculptures.

The exhibition, after Rome, should also travel abroad on a long tour, the stages of which due to Covid have not yet been defined.

    The story of the history of collecting ancient, Roman and Greek marbles begins by recalling the Torlonia Museum, dreamed and founded in 1875 by Prince Alessandro Torlonia, which remained open until the 1940s.

An innovative and revolutionary museum, with an already modern concept that will soon be reborn thanks to the agreement signed in 2016 between Mibact and the Torlonia Foundation.

And this exhibition represents the first step towards the reopening, as underlined by Minister DarioFranceschini, who signed the agreement four years ago: "The Italian State is ready to put resources and places to create a museum suitable for hosting the Torlonia collection. Some possible places have been identified. but everything will be shared with institutions and heirs. Meanwhile at the State Regional Conference we have already approved the allocation of 40 million euros for the renovation of Palazzo Silvestri-Rivaldi in Rome which could be suitable for hosting the Museum ", he says.

(HANDLE).