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Right outside Genoa’s city walls, Villa Rosazza is one of the holiday abodes of the local nobles, dating back to the XVI century. The incredibly wealthy Di Negro family built it next to the the Prince’s palace – the construction by Antonio Di Negro started in 1555. Being so close to the sea and featuring some sea-rock walls, the villa was nicknamed “the Little Rock”. Antonio’s son, Orazio, finalized the construction and tasked Andrea Ansaldo with interior decoration – the latter’s work is still quite prominent on the first floor. As it happens in many other similar buildings, the frescoes praise the feats and the status of the original owners.

In 1787, the new owner, Giovanni Luca Durazzo, asked Andrea Tagliafichi to renovate both the villa and its garden. This was done according to Neoclassic style, adding new plants, small temples, pagodas, a belvedere, caves, waterfalls, pools and green meadows uphill. The result was a successful mix of ancient square design and contemporary English style, with curvy walkways amongst the woods.

The surroundings started changing quite dramatically in 1816 when railway works were brought nearby. Some terraces on the sea were inevitably lost; to overcome the loss of the passageway to underlying Via Milano, a double staircase and an underpass were welcomed and praised as the perfect architectural solution.

What was left of the original layout were the terraces on the hill and the big park, which is now owned by the local municipality. Despite those many transformations, the villa still retains its typical features and appearance.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)