Villa Hélène Rome
Villas in rome: villa Helene one of the four Museums of the National Gallery of Modern Art
If you plan a holiday in Rome, you cannot fail to include a visit to Villa Hélène in your itinerary through the beauty of the Eternal City.
The history of this Renaissance palace is truly fascinating. Inhabited by the Norwegian sculptor and painter Hendrik Christian Andersen for 40 years, is since 1999, one of the four Museums of the National Gallery of Modern Art.
The villa was donated by Andersenupon his death, to the Italian State, complete with everything inside: paintings, sculptural works, furniture, furnishings, textiles, documents, photos, books, etc.
It was built by the sculptor between 1922 and 1925, near the Tiber River and not far from the Piazza del Popolo Gate. Villa Hélène Roma is a three-storey building, on whose façades you can admire decorative elements such as sculptures and frescoes. Of all of them, I like to mention the façade with images of Andersen's family members, or the niches inside which the sculptor placed statues depicting harmonious female bodies.
The gallery, the studio, the entrance, the stairs, the recent café, open to visitors all year round except in August, accompanies you to the terrace. Inside the museum, on the first floor, there are events and exhibitions dedicated to all forms of art. On the ground floor, there are permanent collections.
It is also possible to participate in guided tours, discovering the life and work of Andersen.
Of the exterior you appreciate the clean shapes and you already feel totally caught up in the atmosphere. There are more than two hundred sculptures (plaster, bronze, terracotta), some of which are very large. I believe the building is not only a precious and unexpected gift to the city but also of our short Roman holiday.
If you like Renaissance atmospheres, the harmony of forms, the composure of the rooms, the story of a man born poor, Villa Hélène Roma is not to be missed.
The house/museum is located in Via Pasquale Stanislao Mancini.
Open every day (except Mondays) from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm, it can be easily reached from Termini Station by metro line A (get off at the Flaminio stop and then walk half a kilometre). You can also reach it by bus lines 90 and 490 (or 495), or by tram numbers 2 and 19.
Admission is free.
