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The National Roman Museum – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme has regained its former splendor thanks to the completion of the restoration and maintenance works on its facades, carried out by Vivenda Group S.p.A. under the supervision and direction of the Special Superintendency of Rome.
The intervention has breathed new life into one of the capital’s most iconic buildings, a true meeting point between history, art, and architecture.
Built between 1883 and 1887 to a design by Camillo Pistrucci, commissioned by the Jesuit father Massimiliano Massimo, Palazzo Massimo originally served as the seat of the Jesuit College.
In 1981, the building was acquired by the State and repurposed as a museum. The transformation project, overseen by Costantino Dardi, led to its opening to the public in 1998 as one of the four locations of the National Roman Museum.
Today, walking through its galleries means embarking on a journey into the grandeur of ancient Roman art — sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, and sarcophagi unearthed in Rome and its surrounding territory.
The Causes of Decay
In recent years, the building’s exterior surfaces had shown widespread signs of plaster deterioration and material erosion, caused by weathering, urban pollution, and the natural wear of time.
Stains, black crusts, and cracks had altered the legibility of the facades, making a conservative intervention necessary — one that could balance technical precision with historical sensitivity.
The Restoration Work
Vivenda Group operated according to the principles of “minimum intervention” and reversibility, employing techniques and materials compatible with the original ones.
The works involved the cleaning and consolidation of the plaster, the reconstruction of cornices and stringcourses, the restoration of wooden doors and of stone and iron elements, as well as the recreation of the faux rusticated plasterwork.
Finally, the surfaces were repainted using natural lime-based products from the Arlite line, which ensure breathability, resistance to atmospheric agents, and self-cleaning properties.
A Heritage Returned to the City
Thanks to the intervention carried out by Vivenda Group, Palazzo Massimo once again reveals itself in its original splendor, reaffirming its role as a symbolic place of Roman culture and memory.
A restoration that combines technical expertise, artistic sensitivity, and respect for history, returning to the public one of the masterpieces of nineteenth-century Roman architecture.
