New exhibition space at Villa Albani Torlonia opens with show dedicated to ancient coloured marbles.The Torlonia Foundation has expanded its Antiquarium at Villa Albani Torlonia in Rome, opening a newly restored exhibition space to the public on 18 September with a show dedicated to ancient coloured marbles from the Torlonia Collection.The exhibition, Marmora Romana, is curated by Carlo Gasparri and dedicated to the memory of Raniero Gnoli (1933-2025), a leading scholar and collector of ancient marbles. It adds 20 further sculptures to the Antiquarium's permanent display, 15 of which have been recently restored in the Torlonia Laboratories, bringing the total number of works on show, including original columns from the Torlonia Museum, to 44. The Antiquarium first opened in 2024 to mark the foundation's 10th anniversary. Foundation president Alessandro Poma Murialdo said the decision to expand the space reflected a wish to let the public see the results of the foundation's ongoing work restoring, studying and promoting the Torlonia Collection and the family's historic taste for antiquities. Housed in the former stables, or Scuderie, of Villa Albani Torlonia, the new space showcases the range and craftsmanship of coloured stone used in Roman interiors, through busts, architectural fragments, capitals, table supports and sculptures. Among the highlights is the Torlonia Cup, also known as the Medici Cup, a large Roman-era vessel carved from green Egyptian breccia with a 16th-century base, made from stone quarried in Egypt's Wadi Hammamat and among the most prized materials of the ancient world. Also on display is the so-called Alexander from the Giustiniani Collection, alongside busts set on ancient column drums in a layout echoing the historic Torlonia Museum. The works trace how Rome's expansion eastward from the late second century BC brought it into contact with Hellenistic marble architecture, fuelling a trade in coloured stone that, by the Augustan era, saw once-rare materials become part of everyday imperial building and decoration. Foundation director Carlotta Loverini Botta said the exhibition continues the foundation's work of connecting antiquity with the present, supported by long-standing partners Bulgari Foundation and law firm Chiomenti. The partnership has also produced a new podcast series, Oltre il Tempo, made with Chora Media and hosted by Silvia Beltrametti and Loverini Botta.The Antiquarium, at Villa Albani Torlonia, Via Salaria 96, Rome (entrance at Via Salaria 92), is open free of charge from Tuesday to Sunday, 09.00-13.00. For more information see fondazionetorlonia.org. Photo: Installation view Marmora Romana. Antiquarium di Villa Albani Torlonia. Foto Agostino Osio ©Fondazione Torlonia.

The Torlonia Foundation has expanded its Antiquarium at Villa Albani Torlonia in Rome, opening a newly restored exhibition space to the public on 18 September with a show dedicated to ancient coloured marbles from the . The exhibition, Marmora Romana, is curated by Carlo Gasparri and dedicated to the memory of Raniero Gnoli (1933-2025), a leading scholar and collector of ancient marbles. It adds 20 further sculptures to the Antiquarium's permanent display, 15 of which have been recently restored in the Torlonia Laboratories, bringing the total number of works on show, including original columns from the Torlonia Museum, to 44. The Antiquarium first opened in 2024 to mark the foundation's 10th anniversary. Foundation president Alessandro Poma Murialdo said the decision to expand the space reflected a wish to let the public see the results of the foundation's ongoing work restoring, studying and promoting the Torlonia Collection and the family's historic taste for antiquities. Housed in the former stables, or Scuderie, of Villa Albani Torlonia, the new space showcases the range and craftsmanship of coloured stone used in Roman interiors, through busts, architectural fragments, capitals, table supports and sculptures. Among the highlights is the Torlonia Cup, also known as the Medici Cup, a large Roman-era vessel carved from green Egyptian breccia with a 16th-century base, made from stone quarried in Egypt's Wadi Hammamat and among the most prized materials of the ancient world. Also on display is the so-called Alexander from the Giustiniani Collection, alongside busts set on ancient column drums in a layout echoing the historic Torlonia Museum. The works trace how Rome's expansion eastward from the late second century BC brought it into contact with Hellenistic marble architecture, fuelling a trade in coloured stone that, by the Augustan era, saw once-rare materials become part of everyday imperial building and decoration. Foundation director Carlotta Loverini Botta said the exhibition continues the foundation's work of connecting antiquity with the present, supported by long-standing partners Bulgari Foundation and law firm Chiomenti. The partnership has also produced a new podcast series, Oltre il Tempo, made with Chora Media and hosted by Silvia Beltrametti and Loverini Botta.

The Antiquarium, at Villa Albani Torlonia, Via Salaria 96, Rome (entrance at Via Salaria 92), is open free of charge from Tuesday to Sunday, 09.00-13.00. For more information see fondazionetorlonia.org. Photo: Installation view Marmora Romana. Antiquarium di Villa Albani Torlonia. Foto Agostino Osio ©Fondazione Torlonia.