Rome is often associated with its ancient history, and many don’t connect the city with World War II. The grand monuments and ruins tend to overshadow events from our grandparents’ time. It’s important to remember this period, not to dwell on the war, but to honor its victims and ensure such oppression never happens again.
Some travel to forget, while others travel to remember.
Villa Torlonia, a grand 19th-century estate, was home to Mussolini and his family from 1925 until 1943. Located near central Rome on Via Nomentana, the villa includes a palatial mansion and other buildings set in beautiful gardens. Mussolini rented this estate at a nominal fee from a noble Roman family. Today, both locals and tourists enjoy the villa’s scenic landscape, a new restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating, and a playground for children.
The city of Rome acquired Villa Torlonia in 1978 and has been restoring it ever since. The mansion, known as Casino Nobile, has several floors open to visitors, featuring frescoes, paintings, and statues. Some of these statues date back to the Roman Empire and were discovered on the property during restoration.
Mussolini hosted several important guests at Villa Torlonia, including Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie and, notably, Hitler. Due to wartime bombings in Rome, Mussolini had air raid shelters built on the property, which visitors can tour for an additional fee.
Near the Tiber River in central Rome is a large complex that includes a synagogue and a museum. The museum features a small theatre showing films about Jewish life in Rome from 1870 to the present day in both Italian and English. It also tells the harrowing story of the arrest and deportation of Roman Jews to concentration camps during the war.
Starting in October 1943, Jews from the neighborhood around the synagogue were arrested and packed into freight cars at a nearby train station, then sent to a camp in Poland where most perished. Further deportations occurred over the following months, detailed on panels throughout the museum.
The museum also displays textiles, liturgical items, maps, books, and scrolls, along with explanations of Judaism and the history of Rome’s Jewish community. Visitors can also tour the synagogue, built in 1904 and the largest of Rome’s twelve temples, featuring a rainbow-colored dome.
Outside the synagogue, plaques commemorate the Jewish members of the Resistance who died fighting “Nazi-Fascist barbarism” and the six million Jews who perished in World War II. The inscriptions remind us of their sacrifices and the profundity of their suffering.
Another poignant site is a museum on Via Tasso, near St. John Lateran church. The building’s unassuming façade hides the fact that it was used by German police in 1943 and 1944 to imprison, interrogate, and torture members of the Italian Resistance. The museum’s first floor features temporary exhibits, while the second and third floors contain prison cells where prisoners left behind messages and drawings.
For an in-depth exploration, consider staying in Rome longer than a week. Medium-term rentals provide a chance to truly experience the city’s rich history and culture.
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