The villa initially belonged to the Pamphilj family, then to the Colonna and the Torlonia family eventually bought it at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1925, Prince Giovanni II Torlonia rented the villa to Mussolini for a symbolic lease of 1 lira per year. The villa was in use by the Fascist dictator until 25 July 1943. Mussolini made some changes to the villa and its park, included a bunker modelled on Hitler’s bunker. He mainly used the villa to host dignitaries and foreign visitors, such as Gandhi, Chamberlain, Hitler or the French minister Laval. In 1930, the wedding of Mussolini’s daughter Edda with Count Galeazzo Ciano was celebrated in Villa Torlonia. In the “Red Villa”, Mussolini built a residence for his lover, Claretta Petacci, while he took up residence in the side of the villa called “Casino nobile”.