Another Liberty-style villa

The villa, located in Corso degli Inglesi, was built in 1884 on a project by Pio Soli for the Asquasciati family.

The building, all in exposed stone, wooden attic, wrought iron decorations and already known as Villa Pregnì degli Asquasciati, was designed by Soli by re-elaborating a study by Garnier and Le Duc and superimposing on the neo-Gothic style, already evident in the Marsaglia Castle, the previous work of the Piedmontese architect, some typical features of the Florentine Renaissance, such as rusticated ashlar, the grey colour to evoke the pietra serena and the refined lilies placed on the gates and walls.


The interior of the villa, still in a perfect state of conservation and accessed by a large white marble staircase closed at the sides by two espaliers surmounted by two lionine statues, is characterised by the marked and bright colours of the stringcourses and the decorations on the doors and windows, as well as the precious polychrome windows decorated with medallions containing lilies and profiles; other decorative elements, such as the openworked parapets, are instead exactly the same as those present in the Marsaglia Castle before its demolition.

The decoration of the interior and exterior of the villa was carried out in particular by the stucco artists Luca Casella and Giovanni Bagliani, who reproduced with extreme precision, both in cement and stucco, classical figurative elements such as putti, cupids and animals.

The entrance to the villa is surmounted by a glass and wrought iron ceiling, while on the side tower to the east of the two-storey facade there is a triple glazed window in Art Nouveau style that is particularly striking.

(source: text by Andrea Gandolfo; private images)