Mussolini's villa and bunker open today

Mussolini, who lived lavishly and entertained guests at the Rome residence, built the underground chambers to protect himself and his family from possible air raids and gas attacks.

A $6 million restoration was undertaken after decades of decay during which the villa's neoclassic treasures were shunned as a tainted reminder of the fascist period.

"Sixty years have passed, and history has said what it had to say," Rome's center-left Mayor Walter Veltroni said during a ceremony Tuesday for invited guests. "If some nostalgics (of fascism) will want to come here, let them come. This is a beautiful place in the city, and it's our duty to preserve it."

Visits require advance booking and take place in small, guided groups.

Mussolini lived at Villa Torlonia from 1925 to 1943 with his wife and children, delighting in tennis games and horseback rides on the grounds that surround the house, built by one of Rome's aristocratic families.

"When the winds of war started blowing, he ordered the construction of the bunker," said Eugenio La Rocca, superintendent for Rome's monuments.

Two underground structures cover more than 2,000 square feet and include an anti-gas chamber with air ducts and showers for decontamination, all protected by a double set of airtight doors. Mussolini dug the bunker 23 feet deep, burying a 10-foot-thick concrete box with multiple escape routes.

While restoring the chamber, archaeologists discovered it was built over a second-century Christian tomb, where they found three bodies.

It is not known whether Mussolini ever had a use for the hide-out. By the time air raids hit Rome, "Il Duce" had been deposed and was leading a puppet state in northern Italy under Nazi protection. He was captured and executed by partisans in April 1945 while fleeing to Switzerland.