Adagiata on a hill with panoramic view of Piediluco lake, in the territory of Terni, immersed in a park, stands Villa Franchetti or “Villalago”. It was built by Baron Eugenio Franchetti between 1888 and 1893 as a “holiday home” for the family, then residing in Florence; the building, designed by architect G. Boccini, is clearly neo-Renaissance inspired, with a typically Tuscan matrix. The villa develops over three floors. Welcoming the visitor is the main facade with the entrance door inserted in a walled Serliana loggia. The rear façade is striking, characterized by the porch with central Serliana, topped by the terrace on the first floor. Inside, the villa houses an important central staircase with beautiful period flooring and ground floor lounges with vaulted ceilings decorated with stuccoes, plasters, or wood. One of the lounges was painted by the Terni artist Giulio Mirimao. The caretaker’s house and the former stables complete the complex. The villa’s grounds consist of a large English-style naturalistic-landscape park, created by exploiting the existing forest mainly composed of hop-hornbeam and integrated with new plantings. Along the west side of the villa opens a small garden consisting of a grassy parterre with a central fountain. It is from here that the green spaces begin to slope down towards the valley with a series of panoramic terraces until reaching the open-air theater, formerly the venue for outdoor cultural and recreational events until a few years ago. However, the characteristic that truly makes the Villalago park unique is the presence of spontaneous orchids which have found the ideal conditions to grow there. So far, thirty species have been recorded, in addition to some hybrid forms. The villa is now owned by the Provincial Administration of Terni.
Information on Villa Franchetti Or “Villalago”
Loc. Voc. Alferini,
05100 Terni (Terni)
0744423047
Source: MIBACT
