His name a guarantee

The villa, located in Viale Carducci, derives its name from the area in which it stands, so called because, by virtue of the very easy view of the Gulf of Matuziano, sentries were placed there, on special lookout or guard structures, to guard the territory to prevent possible incursions by Barbary pirates.

At the entrance of the main avenue leading into the park of the villa, there was once an artistic gate by the sculptor Giacomo Manzù, which was unfortunately removed due to the failure to reach an agreement on the payment of the relevant insurance between the owners and the heads of the Regional Institute for Floriculture, which occupies part of the villa as its offices.

The building, with its majestic neoclassical façade, was chosen as the residence at the beginning of the twentieth century by the wealthy English nobleman Hugh Brodie, who availed himself of the work of the engineer Pietro Agosti.

In the centre of the arches of the façade there are characteristic female heads in relief, while the two lions placed at the sides of the entrance staircase have typically British features.

The same Viale Carducci was once called Via Brodie as it was probably a road built specifically to reach the villa of the English aristocrat.

(source: text by Andrea Gandolfo; images from Private Archives)