Rome reopens Savoia bunker in Villa Ada.
A bunker designed exclusively for Italy’s former royal family has reopened to the public for guided tours, after a closure of five years, at the Villa Ada park in Rome.
The air-raid shelter was constructed between November 1940 and June 1943 to protect the Savoia family in the case of bombing during world war two. Surrounded by thick vegetation, the bunker is located at the base of the Colle delle Cavalle Madri hill, about 350 metres from the former Savoia residence at Villa Ada.
The historic bunker, which opened for the first time in 2019, has been restored through a comprehensive redevelopment initiative led by the city’s environmental protection department.
The project was financed by a €2.4 million allocation from Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funds.
The 200-sqm shelter includes a sitting room, two bathrooms and air purification system, and its two access doors, made of iron and concrete, weigh a combined 2,400kg and are 20-cm thick.
The restoration included essential naturalistic engineering works to stabilise the surrounding slopes and secure the underground structure, including the planting of around 900 shrubs to prevent soil erosion and enhance the biodiversity of the Cavalle Madri hill.
Under a new collaborative management agreement with the Roma Sotterranea and ASD Giochi di Strada associations, the bunker will serve as a multifaceted cultural and tourist hub.
The site’s seven circular rooms will host guided historical tours and artistic events, overseen by Roma Sotterranea, an association which collaborates with the capital’s archaeological authorities in providing tours of Rome’s underground sites.
The exterior spaces will be utilised for organised hiking and sporting activities, organised by the ASD Giochi di Strada association,
The city’s mayor Roberto Gualtieri stated that the reopening of the “extraordinary bunker” integrates the preservation of Rome’s hidden history within the broader redevelopment of Villa Ada.
The Savoy family left Italy in exile in 1946 after a landmark referendum in which Italians voted in favour of a republic and to abolish the monarchy which had been discredited during world war two.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.wantedinrome.com ’
