Rome's Museum of Games and Toys was never built.

Around 33,000 antique toys belonging to the city of Rome remain in storage at Centrale Montemartini, more than 10 years after the city scrapped plans to create a toy museum in Villa Ada.

The toys were part of a prestigious collection bought by the city for a reported sum of €5.4 million in 2005, under the administration of then mayor Walter Veltroni. The collection, believed to be the biggest in Europe, was purchased from an Italian collector in Perugia who in turn bought the toys from a toy museum in Stockholm which closed down in 1991.

The majority of the toys date from between 1860 and 1930 however there are also pieces from the 13th- and 15th centuries.

The toys were destined for Rome's future Museum of Games and Toys to be established in the royal stables of Villa Ada - which would have been completely renovated - however the museum was never built.

Veltroni's plan was fiercely opposed by the Lazio branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) which objected to the "highly invasive" development in the grounds of Villa Ada.

Veltoni's successor Gianni Alemanno shelved the project, which would have cost €15 million, when he became mayor in 2008.

The toys have been locked in a warehouse - inaccessible to the public - in Ostiense since 2011.

Photo Il Messaggero