To celebrate the return to the collectivity of one of the most iconic monuments of the Roman Empire, a special volume has been produced featuring the shots of Stefano Castellani (Il Tempio di Venere e Roma, Electa 2021).
FENDI and Parco Archeologico del Colosseo announced 15 months after the start of the works, the end of the restoration and enhancement of The Temple of Venus and Rome, with a special book edited by Electa 2021.
The largest building of ancient Rome owes its magnificence, aside from the exceptional dimension, to the originality of its architectural design, which combined Hellenistic proportions and spatiality with Roman urban planning and construction techniques, thus creating a completely innovative configuration. More than 200 columns of gray granite and Proconnesio marble wrapped a single rectangular volume, divided between the two opposed worship cells: one dedicated to Venus Felix, goddess of nature generating, mother of Aeneas, progenitor of Augustus and therefore of the imperial family, facing the Colosseum; the other dedicated to the goddess Roma Eterna, sacred personification of the city and its domain over the territories of the Empire, facing the Capitol. The architecture was highlighted by the richness of the architectural decorations, whose splendour was increased by the use of gold leaf in the stucco, by the porphyry columns and the symphony of polychrome marbles on the floor surfaces: the purplish red of the porphyry and the brecciato pavonazzetto, contrasted with the iridescent green of the cipollino and giallo antico marbles. The walls, covered with marble slabs, housed marble statues in the niches, while the gigantic, seated cult statues of the divinities stood out in the apses.
The restoration works, which began in September 2020 and ended in July 2021 with subsequent interventions related to the enhancement and accessibility of the area, involved more than 60 professionals. The working synergy that arose between the PArCo and Fendi allowed the full achievement of all planned objectives, despite the difficulties due to the pandemic. In fact, the restoration works involved both the architectural and the decorative complex of the two cells, from the roofing to the surfaces, up to the floors.
To add further value to the monument, a lighting intervention has been carried out to complete the restoration works. This contributes to the reconstruction and reintegration of the image of the monument, showing how light can be an instrument of communication of the restorations carried out. The light beams, which alternate warm and cold tones on the different surfaces, outline the ancient walls and show with great suggestion the volumes of the cells of the Goddesses, the design of the floors, the ceiling coffers, the porphyry columns, the scanning of the niches, in a magical play of light and shadow.
But the greatest novelty is the opening to the public of the cell of the goddess Rome, together with the full accessibility of the monument, which will soon be possible thanks to the installation of two small lifts of reduced visual impact on the northern side of the Temple.
The volume Il Tempio di Venere e Roma dedicated to the Temple of Venus and Rome, with its raw canvas cover with bronze laminated graphics, wants to recall the fundamental colours of the monument, whose splendour is revealed through the rich photographic reportage that combines archival imagery with photos taken during and after the different restoration phases, as well as of the exceptional Fendi Couture fashion show held in the cell of Venus in July 2019. The book is in double language, English and Italian, and is introduced by Dario Franceschini, Minister of Culture; the spirit and the exceptional results of this public-private partnership are recounted by Alfonsina Russo, Director of Parco archeologico del Colosseo, and Silvia Venturini Fendi, Fendi Artistic Director of Accessories and Menswear.
“Today, I am delighted to work hand in hand with the Parco archeologico del Colosseo on the restoration of the Temple of Venus and Rome – a site that holds special memories for me and for so many others around the world. The Palatine Hill and its surroundings lie at the very heart of our Roman mythology – it is the spiritual birthplace of our city and a site of great historical significance. You can feel it in the air, and as the sun goes down on the Temple of Venus and Rome on the edge of the Velia Hill in the evening, there’s a moment where time stops and the buzz of modern life fades into the background” states Silvia Venturini Fendi.
It is the love for its city that has brought Fendi to continue its commitment to patronage initiatives, which started in 2013 with the restoration of the Trevi Fountain – completed in 2015 – and the Fendi for Fountains project, which also includes the restoration of the complex of the “Four Fountains” and the restoration and preservation of the fountains del Gianicolo, del Mosè, del Ninfeo del Pincio and del Peschiera, which started earlier this month. The relationship between Fendi and the world of art and culture is a historical link that has lasted since 1925, when Edoardo and Adele Fendi founded the luxury House in Rome. A relationship made of values such as innovation, tradition, know-how, creativity, Italian culture, which over the years has been constantly strengthened thanks to projects of patronage and numerous partnerships aimed at supporting and exporting Italian art and culture in the world, its excellence and its talents.
“Emotion and art represent an inseparable combination of culture in all its expressions. Through this collaboration we reach a very high moment of synthesis of Italian identity focused on the charm and beauty of places and monuments that dialogue harmoniously with contemporary creativity, of which the Fendi represents one of the main excellence”, states Alfonsina Russo, Director of the Parco archeologico del Colosseo and continues, ”thanks to Fendi, the largest known temple of ancient Rome, dedicated to Rome Aeterna and Venus Felix, is returned to its former glory and the volume we are publishing also valorizes its universal significance from a scientific point of view.”
Thanks to the contribution of Fendi, today the biggest temple of ancient Rome is finally returned to public use in its entireness: the Parco archeologico del Colosseo is proud to return a piece of ancient splendour to the Rome of today, yesterday and forever, the eternal city.