How a simple Villa can become a Nursing Home

The hospital Elioterapico Pavese, (one of the first in Italy with its own beach) known by all as "Villa Spinola" is located in an enchanting position, protected by the hill to the north and surrounded by a large park rich in subtropical plants making it an ideal place for a stay.

According to the historian Nilo Calvini, at the end of the 16th century a nobleman from Taggia, Gio Tomaso Lercari, convinced the provost Stefano Soleri from Bussano to sell him the great Arma land situated between the beach of the sea, the Rivo dei Fonti and the Castelletti hill up to the church-crotto of the Annunziata, owner of all that territory.

The population of Bussana tried in vain to prevent this sale because in 1602 the Arma land passed to the Lercari family who, however, left it abandoned and uncultivated for about a century.

At the beginning of the XVIII century Cardinal Nicolò Lercari of Taggia, Secretary of State of Pope Benedict XIII, had the artistic villa built on old drawings by the architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Thus, in a splendid park, the famous palace was built which, adorned in the facade with valuable drawings and the cardinal's coat of arms, attracted the attention of travellers travelling along Via Aurelia below.

It is said that Pope Pius VII, on his return trip from France, also stopped for a few minutes in front of the villa to sip an excellent muscatel.

This historical palace was occasionally inhabited by the Lercari family until the branch died out with Nicolò son of Gio Tomaso. It remained a daughter who married the Marquis Carlo Donghi who inherited the property. Later the Marquis Donghi gave it to a Dutch diplomat, Count Considine, who restored the villa and modified it quite a bit.

Finally, in 1885 the Count sold Villa Lercari to the Marquis Federico Spinola, Senator of the Kingdom and Minister at the court of Lisbon, and since then it took the name of the new owner.

The Ursuline Sisters of Trevoux bought the property in 1910 and sold it in 1920 to the Consorzio Antitubercolare of Pavia.

Several renovation works were carried out but the original ancient building was preserved.

With the prefectural decree of 1929 the institute was declared a Category II Specialised Hospital.

For several years now, patients have been evicted by the Directors of the local Health Authority who have placed the offices and partially some medical clinics there.

(source: for the text, Marco Mauro; images from Personal Archive)