Villa Zeri in Mentana to become national museum and cultural hub

The historic Villa Zeri near Rome, former residence of renowned Italian art historian Federico Zeri, will be integrated into Italy’s national museum network. The Ministry of Culture and the University of Bologna signed a multi‑year valuation agreement that places the villa under the management of the Istituto Pantheon e Castel Sant’Angelo. The programme, titled “Villa Zeri – Abitare le immagini,” will convert the property into a permanent public centre for research, exhibitions, seminars, artist residencies and cultural education.

Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli said the villa will become “a place of study, formation and cultural production.” The agreement was signed by Istituto director Luca Mercuri and university rector Giovanni Molari, who highlighted the goal of turning the scholar’s legacy into public capital for future generations.

The transformation follows years of neglect after Zeri’s death, and aims to preserve his extensive collections of photographs, epigraphic fragments and art archives while opening them to scholars, artists and the wider public.