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The museum complex of Villa Durazzo Centurione is a seat consisting of two historic houses of the nobility, by a park/Italian garden and an art museum “Vittorio G. Rossi” in Santa Margherita Ligure, in the Tigullio, in the province of Genoa. The site, owned by the city, is also used for cultural and artistic events and exhibitions.

The complex consists mainly of two villas (Durazzo-Centurione and San Giacomo) and of a large XVII century park which is a delightful Italian garden with paths in typical Ligurian cobblestone called “risseu”.

The complex was designed by the architect Galeazzo Alessi and built on a hill in 1678 by the Marquis Durazzo, who used the villa as a summer residence. It became a possession of the Princes Centurione (hence the double name Durazzo-Centurione) in 1821: the palace was considerably expanded and enriched with new exotic plants and marble neoclassical statues. In the late nineteenth century, it became the seat of the Grand Hotel temporarily, hosting several personalities of the time.

In 1919, it was bought by the Commendatore Alfredo Chierichetti that revalued the entire complex by adding new plants (palm trees, camellias, and magnolias) and making paths in typical Ligurian cobblestone. In 1973 it eventually became a municipal property that destined the villa and its grounds as the site of important cultural events and international conferences.
In June 1998, thanks to the significant presence of tree species, the garden was twinned with the famous Hanbury Gardens in Ventimiglia.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)