The villa, old summer residence mentioned in 18th-century land registers as Casino Cella, from the name of its first owners, was built in the second half of the 18th century in the place of a previous countryside residence belonging to the Spannocchi (family originally from Siena). The staircase, which from via Saragozza hikes up to the small porch preceding the villa, was the origin of the name of Villa la Scala. In 1800 the property went to the Pepoli and subsequently to other families down to the Armandi Avogli family which in 1907 assigned to architect Dante Trebbi the restoration of the villa and its garden. In 1916, by bequest of the last owner, Nerina Armandi de' Piccoli, the Municipality of Bologna acquired the building to become a Modern Art Gallery in the late 1920's. During WWII the villa was used as a hospital, while the museum continued to be operative until 1961, and in 1975 it was transferred in the new facility in the Fiera District. After a long closure followed by restoration the villa was renovated and turned into an exhibition facility for the Modern Art Gallery. Due to its flower garden the villa took the name of Villa delle Rose. Its garden till the 90's housed several sculptures from the early 20th century by Romagnoli, Baruzzi, Montaguti, Legnani, Drei and Boni.