Villa Paolina Bonaparte, also known as Villa Bonaparte, is a historic 18th-century residence located in Rome, between Porta Pia and Porta Salaria, within the Aurelian Walls. The villa was built in 1750 at the behest of Cardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzaga, secretary of state to Pope Benedict XIV, and later purchased in 1816 by Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister, who transformed it into a refined Empire-style residence.
Brief history of the Villa
After the fall of Napoleon, in fact, Pauline moved to Rome and purchased the villa. She renovated it by introducing Empire-style elements, such as Egyptian decorations inspired by her brother’s Egyptian campaign. The garden was also redesigned with an English-style parterre and a park enclosed by the Aurelian Walls.
An important historical event concerning it was the opening of the Breach of Porta Pia; during the taking of Rome in 1870, bersaglieri entered the city through the villa’s garden.
In 1950 it was acquired by France and became the seat of the French Embassy to the Holy See, still is today.
Small curiosity.
There is another Villa Paolina in Rome, in the Nomentano district, also known as Villa Cohen, designed in 1920 by engineer Enrico Verdozzi. The Villa for years was a girls’ school, today it has been turned into a residential building (an apartment to buy inside it can exceed one million euros).
How to visit it.
Villa Paolina Bonaparte represents an important testimony of Roman history related to the Bonaparte family and is one of the most fascinating places in the city for its combination of art, history and diplomacy. It is open to the public for guided tours on Mondays and Fridays. The cost of the tour (lasting about an hour) is 15 euros and for Italian visitors the hours are Mondays at 11:30 am and Fridays at 3 pm.
Guided tours in English are held on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. and in French on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
If you want to visit, you should write to prenotazioni@artwonders.it.