The Easel

Archives: Nica Fiori

22nd September 2026

The Antiquarium at Villa Albani Torlonia doubles its capacity with the addition of a newly renovated exhibition space

No superlatives are too grand to describe the Torlonia Collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. A long dispute between the Italian state and one of Rome’s grand families over control of the collection resulted in it being opened to the public. This is happening – slowly – with newly restored works focused on polychrome and gorgeous coloured marbles. Imperial quarries yielded purple-ish porphyry and green breccia, luxurious materials that helped make ancient Rome “very colourful”.