Rome, Wine Loggia in Villa Borghese reopens after initial restoration work

The Loggia dei Vini at Villa Borghese in Rome will reopen to the public on October 19, 2024, after an initial restoration. This structure, characterized by an elegant oval architecture enriched with frescoes and decorations, was built between 1609 and 1618 on the initiative of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, used for convivial meetings and parties during the summer

Admission will be free for all and the opening will be accompanied by the contemporary art project LAVINIA, curated by Salvatore Lacagnina. The initiative is designed to create a dialogue with the space of the Loggia and to enhance the different phases of the restoration. The project, carried out by Ghella and promoted by Roma Capitale, Assessorato alla Cultura, Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, in collaboration with Zètema Progetto Cultura, was presented in the presence of Roma Capitale’s Councillor for Culture Miguel Gotor, the director of the Direzione Patrimonio Artistico delle Ville Storiche Federica Pirani, Ghella’s director of Institutional Relations, Communication and Sustainability Matteo d’Aloja and curator Salvatore Lacagnina.

The name LAVINIA pays homage to Lavinia Fontana, among the first recognized artists in the history of art, whose works have been in the Borghese collection since the early 17th century. The exhibition project, which runs through Jan. 26, 2025, will feature site-specific works by artists such as Ross Birrell & David Harding, Monika Sosnowska, Enzo Cucchi, Gianni Politi, Piero Golia and Virginia Overton.

The Wine Loggia is part of an architectural complex that also includes the Grotto below, once used to store wines and connected to Villa Borghese’s Casino Nobile via an underground passageway. After several interventions made during the 20th century and a long period of closure, the Loggia is now back to life, thanks to the completion of the first of three restoration lots. The work involved the interior vault, with its stucco cornices and the central fresco painted by Archita Ricci, depicting The Banquet of the Gods, the pillars damaged by water infiltration, and the access stairs.

“After the Garden of the Hermes, today we are inaugurating another prestigious space at Villa Borghese, the Wine Loggia, which is once again open to the public after restoration work carried out thanks to a donation from Ghella and with the scientific direction of the Capitoline Superintendency,” said Roma Capitale’s Culture Councillor Miguel Gotor. “This,” he added, “is an important part of the redevelopment of our historic and artistic heritage, in which contemporary art goes hand in hand with the restoration of a public space. With this reopening we carry forward two of the main cultural missions that Roma Capitale has pursued with this administration: the enhancement of places and cultural promotion,” Gotor concluded.

The restoration, carried out thanks to a donation from Ghella, with the scientific care of the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, is carried out by R.O.M.A. Consorzio. The next two interventions will be dedicated to restoring the plasters of the interior pillars and the exterior part of the building, and restoring the hemicycle and its terracotta flooring.

“We believe in the value of culture and have always been committed to exporting it to the world. It is a great honor to be able to donate a restoration inside Villa Borghese, one of the most beautiful parks in the world. I believe that our role in society should not be limited to building infrastructure, but should be a promoter of a new model of development, which is more sustainable and oriented toward collective well-being. LAVINIA represents the will to give expressive freedom to artists in dialogue with the monument of the Wine Lodge,” said Enrico Ghella, president and CEO.

To give further value to the restoration project and make the public dialogue with the Loggia, the space will be animated with works, performances, readings, workshops and educational activities, orchestrated according to a unified narrative. In the Loggia, an evocative venue for receptions, fine wines and delicious sorbets were served in the cool half-light; precisely for this reason, each LAVINIA opening will be associated with an ice cream flavor designed especially for the occasion. The first flavor is “orange and lemongrass.”

Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Oct. 26, 2024; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 27, 2024 to Jan. 26, 2025.

Photo by Daniele Molajoli. Courtesy of Ghella

Rome, Wine Loggia in Villa Borghese reopens after initial restoration work

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