Peek Inside the Restyled Rooms at Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome
Issue #35
I know it’s a bit cliché, but I often describe Rome as an open-air museum—and while there are plenty of incredible monuments and fountains out in the open, there are just as many (if not more) spectacular palaces and villas whose doors rarely open to the public. Villa Medici, which sits on the Pincio Hill just a quick walk from the Spanish Steps, is one of those villas.
Home to the French Academy in Rome, it hosts temporary exhibitions and cultural events, but normally the only way to visit the gardens and historic rooms is on a guided tour. So when I heard that it was hosting a special open house celebrating the redesign of its historic rooms by French-Iranian architect India Mahdavi—whose work I’ve been a fan of for a long time—I immediately reserved a ticket. The chance to wander around this incredible villa and take in its gorgeous architecture and design at my own pace was too good to pass up.
Originally built in the 16th century, the Villa Medici stands on the site of the gardens of the Roman general Lucius Lucinius Lucullus. In 1576, it was purchased by Cardinal Fernando de’ Medici, grand duke of Tuscany, who enlisted Florentine architect Bartolomeo Ammannati to transform it into a palace worthy of the Medici name.
That’s when the elegant Renaissance garden was added, inspired by the gardens Ferdinando’s father Cosimo I de’ Medici created in Florence and Pisa, and the beautiful antique bas-reliefs were added to the façade. There was a gallery for his collection of ancient sculptures, which travelers from all over Europe went to see.
Napoléon bought the villa in 1801 and in 1803 it became home to the French Academy in Rome, an institution founded in 1666, under the reign of King Louis XIV, to give artists and scholars the chance to study Italian art. During the 19th century, the Academy hosted prominent artists and architects including Victor Balthard, the architect who designed Les Halles in Paris, Charles Garnier, who built the Opera House in Paris, and the composers Debussy and Berlioz.
The French painter Balthus was appointed director of the Villa Medici in 1961 and undertook a renovation of the building that included adding new exhibition rooms. Set designer Richard Peduzzi further renovated the villa at the beginning of the 21st century.
The current renovation project is still underway. With a projected completion date in 2025, it’s rolling out in three phases. The first phase saw the refurbishment of six salons on the garden level under the artistic direction of Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi. Those rooms are now decorated with Fendi Casa furniture and contemporary tapestries by the likes of Louise Bourgeois and Sheila Hicks.
The second phase saw the redesign of the historic rooms on the piano nobile by India Mahdavi, who’s known for her eye-catching design for places like Sketch London. I love the way she breathed new life into the historic rooms through the bold use of color and striking geometric forms, juxtaposing very contemporary elements with the Renaissance architecture.
The Salon Lili Boulanger, named for the first female composer admitted to the Academy, now has bold yellow sofas upholstered in Dedar fabric, geometric cocktail tables, and a pink rug by La Manufacture Cogolin. Mahdavi also brought in Debussy’s grand piano.
In the Room of the Muses, she put a bespoke rug inspired by the forms of the garden and her iconic Bishop stools in seafoam green. Bedrooms dedicated to Galileo and Debussy now feature custom beds decorated with geometric motifs that, according to AD Italia, Mahdavi dubbed “Renaissance pop.”
Zoe Stella Shapiro, the founder of Stellavision Travel, who joined me for the open house, called it “a very bold choice to have the rooms redesigned in such a contrasting, contemporary style,” adding, “but I thought the result was super successful. While not on theme, the chic and striking rooms were certainly on brand for the elegant French Academy.”
Whether you live in Rome or are just visiting and want to get off the beaten path and see one of the city’s most incredible cultural institutions, you can join a guided tour of Villa Medici. English tours are given every day except Tuesday at 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 5 p.m. They cost €14 and must be booked in advance. Villa Medici also hosts temporary exhibitions, which you can see without a guided tour, but the ticket doesn’t include admission to the historic rooms that are part of the Re-enchanting Villa Medici project.
A Little Announcement
In honor of the Festa della Repubblica tomorrow, which celebrates the 1946 referendum that transformed Italy from a monarchy to a republic, I’m offering a flash sale on paid subscriptions. Keep an eye out for an email tomorrow with a link to get 54% off—and a note explaining why I chose that number!
Further Reading
Want to receive updates about the cultural programming at Villa Medici, which includes exhibitions, concerts, performances, and parties? Sign up for Villa Medici’s newsletter.
I’ve been following India Mahdavi’s work for a while, so I was thrilled to profile her for the Legends Issue of GRAY Magazine. Check it out here (page 54-55).
One of my sources for this newsletter was this feature about India Mahdavi’s restyling of the Villa Medici in AD Italia (in Italian).
Interested in discovering more under-the-radar cultural institutions in Rome? Check out issue #32, my list of 10 underrated museums in Rome.
Love it. So much colour!