After ten years, the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia is once again accessible to the public

After nearly a decade, starting Saturday, October 5, the Villa Giulia Nymphaeum of Rome’s National Etruscan Museum is once again accessible to the public. In addition to the Ammannati Loggia above, visitors will then be able to walk down the access ramps and stroll past the fountains with allegorical representations of the Tiber and Arno rivers.

For the first time, the Nymphaeum will also be accessible to visitors with mobility difficulties thanks to the installation of a new stair lift system that will allow them to admire the sculptures up close. The Zodiac Hall, decorated with 16th-century frescoes depicting the turn of the seasons and the cyclical nature of time, will also be accessible thanks to a connecting platform. In the near future, the Nymphaeum will organize guided tours by museum staff to accompany visitors to discover the Virgin Aqueduct.

The Nymphaeum continues to form the precious heart of the Villa Giulia gardens. Beloved by Pope Julius III, the Nymphaeum was designed to welcome and surprise guests, offering cool shelter from the summer heat. .

Here Bartolomeo Ammannati designed and built a scenographic space, a water theater on three levels, enriched with stucco and numerous statues, designed to enchant and amaze visitors. On the intermediate level of the Nymphaeum, two large symmetrical niches house fountains with allegories of the Tiber and Arno rivers, recognizable by their attributes: the she-wolf for the Tiber and the Marzocco, or lion symbol of the Republic of Florence, for the Arno, in reference to the pope’s Tuscan origins. Finally, on the lower floor, among polychrome marble and stucco decorations stand the sinuous figures of the Caryatids, witnesses to the ancient opulence of the Nymphaeum, which support the travertine balcony. A major conservation restoration project, financed through Art Bonus donations, is planned soon.

After ten years, the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia is once again accessible to the public

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