Sito dell'Assessorato alla Cultura, Turismo e Spettacolo del Comune di Piano di Sorrento
- ideato e realizzato dall'Ufficio Cultura del Comune -
Tel. 0815344426 - mail: info@pianodisorrentoeventi.it
Villa Fondi
It was built in 1840 by the Prince of Fondi, Don Giovanni Andrea De Sangro, featuring many stuccoes, majolicas, and frescoes. Inside, one can still admire a staircase leading to the upper floors in the classical Vanvitellian style.
A splendid structure with a large municipal park overlooking the sea, it was built on a striking tuffaceous cliff and boasts a truly marvelous belvedere with a view of the Gulf of Naples. The villa, considered a national museum, was built in the neoclassical style with two floors and a rectangular layout. However, part of it collapsed following the 1980 earthquake.
Purchased by the Municipality of Piano di Sorrento, it has been largely restored in its intact sections and rebuilt in the destroyed parts as a multifunctional facility. Today, it houses the "George Vallet" Territorial Archaeological Museum of the Sorrento Peninsula, which preserves artifacts dating from the 2nd millennium BC to the Roman era. The park is also of great interest, ranking among the typical mid-19th-century gardens, featuring a vast and valuable variety of botanical species.
From cadastral documents of 1875, the original layout of the ancient garden has been reconstructed, revealing that no major alterations have occurred over time. The truly new elements include a precious Roman nymphaeum with mosaics from Marina della Lobra and a structure built to the southwest, which includes the emergency exit of the conference hall and restroom facilities.
The ancient greenhouse has been converted into a bar. A single new path has been added, enclosing the existing walkways and leading to the Roman nymphaeum. The rest of the garden has remained largely intact, consisting of two distinct sections: a smaller one to the east, with a layout of various flower beds, and a larger one to the west, featuring two orthogonal avenues and a rotated one, with four different plots of land dedicated to tree cultivation. These include approximately 250 trees, predominantly olive trees and palms, as well as a monumental pine about 200 years old, along with camellias, gardenias, strelitzias, oleanders, magnolias, banana trees, carob trees, holm oaks, cypresses, yews, strawberry trees, and more—making it one of the most beautiful gardens in the area, comparable to Villa Lucia in Castellammare di Stabia, Villa Rufolo in Ravello, and the Naples Botanical Garden.
Of particular interest is the Belvedere, with a majolica-tiled pavement depicting rose petals and a small octagonal gazebo with a dome covered in majolica, located to the east of the park.
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