Casa del Cinema

In 1833, the Borghese princes enlarged Villa Pinciana by purchasing several neighbouring vineyards and villas, including Villa Manfroni Bernini, located immediately behind the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pinciana.

The building, consisting of an older and open part with a loggia and a lower and more recent construction of rustic character, was restored by architect Luigi Canina and used as a restaurant. Following the damage suffered in 1849 during the battle between the defenders of Mazzini's Roman Republic and the French troops rushing to support the pontiff, the Casina was used to house cowsheds and a milk and dairy products shop, even after Villa Borghese became the property of the City of Rome in 1903.

In the 1930s it became a luxury restaurant named Casina delle Rose, as is documented in a lovely postcard dated 1932. It changed name again and was famously known, in the years of the Dolce Vita, as the “La Lucciola” dancing club. It was abandoned in 1976 when the concessionaries began unauthorized renovation work on the building, which was listed, and the project was blocked by the City of Rome until the 1990s. Meanwhile, the building was in ruins, damaged by lightning strikes and repeated vandalism.

In the meantime, the building had gone to ruin, damaged by lightning and repeated acts of vandalism. It was not until 2001, with funding from Law 396/90 (Roma Capitale), that the project to restore the historic building was undertaken with the technical and scientific contribution of the City’s Sovrintendenza. Today it appears as it was documented in the early 1900s, restored to match the pictures and descriptions of the time. Fully restored, it was inaugurated on 18 September 2004 in the presence of the authorities and almost all the professionals of Italian cinema, who welcomed it with enthusiasm.

Since 2004, under the guidance of the first Director Felice Laudadio, it was designated by Roma Capitale to be the House of Cinema and Audio-visual art.

In the early months of 2023, a series of interventions restyled the façade, the screening rooms, and the interior spaces.

The Casa del Cinema has three screening rooms equipped with the most innovative digital technology (the Cinecittà Room, the Fellini Room, and the Gian Maria Volontè Room); an open-air theatre with a screen, dressing rooms and services, two exhibition rooms and a cafeteria-restaurant.

SALA CINECITTÀ
The Cinecittà Hall has a capacity of 118 seats. It is equipped with digital projection systems for multimedia and DCP formats, stereoscopic DOLBY 3D, 35mm film, and a WI-FI network. The Hall is also equipped with the revolutionary DOLBYATMOS sound system and has facilities for hosting congresses, screenings, and private events.

SALA FELLINI
The Fellini Room has a capacity of 65 seats. Equipped with a 2K video projector for DCP projections and a WI-FI network. The room is adapted for high-quality projections, conferences, and private events.

TEATRO ALL'APERTO ETTORE SCOLA
Inaugurated in the summer of 2007, and surrounded by a vast green area, the Casa del Cinema's open-air theatre can hold 200 people. It hosts major film festivals as well as music and theatre events. The Open Air Theatre's activities run from May/June to September/October.

SALA GIAN MARIA VOLONTÉ
On the ground floor of the Casa del Cinema is the 35-seat conference room dedicated to Gian Maria Volonté. Ideal for book presentations, debates, seminars, and conferences, the room is also equipped for video projections.

SPAZIO SERGIO AMIDEI E SPAZIO CESARE ZAVATTINI
These exhibition halls are named after two great screenwriters in the history of Italian cinema: Sergio Amidei and Cesare Zavattini, representing 'all Italian cinema from A to Z'. The rooms host art and photographic exhibitions dedicated to cinema and its protagonists.

SALOTTO SUSO
The Salotto Suso has furniture elements for networking activities and a 60'' inch Smart TV and is equipped with a WI-FI network. Suitable for press activities, interviews, coaching, meetings, seminars, and refresher courses.

20% discount reserved to Roma Pass holders on all screenings of the 2023/2024 season organised by the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, valid at the Casa del Cinema box office, according to the times and procedures indicated on the website www.casadelcinema.it. the discount will be applied to all tickets priced over €5 and subject to availability.