Look straight ahead for a grand two-story villa with grey stone walls, yellow-trimmed windows, and lush spiky plants standing guard along its decorative iron fence.
Welcome to Villa Fiorentina-no, you’re not in Florence, and you haven’t stepped into a page from a fairy tale, though it might feel that way! Picture the year 1884: the Asquasciati family has the wild idea to build a showstopper, so they call in architect Pio Soli. Soli gets playful, mixing grand ideas from famous French architects Garnier and Viollet-le-Duc with a sprinkle of his own creative magic-he adds touches of neo-Gothic drama and swirls of Renaissance Florence flair. You can almost hear him saying, “More stone! More wrought iron! And don’t forget the fleur-de-lis for good luck!”
As you stand here, imagine the stonemasons sweating in the Ligurian sun, fitting each block of grey stone, making it look as if the villa sprang right from a Florentine dream. Look for the rustic stone, meant to remind you of “pietra serena”-a type of stone that whispers secrets of old Florence. The villa’s wooden eaves and iron balconies look elegant enough for secret midnight meetings-or maybe just for showing off fancy new hats.
Villa Fiorentina isn’t just a house-it’s where art, history, and a little bit of architectural mischief mingled to leave a mark on Sanremo. It’s been guarding its stories for over a century… but who knows, maybe if you listen carefully, you’ll catch one!
