Villa Mariani

Villa Mariani is a historic house museum and artist estate located at 5 Via Fontana Vecchia in Bordighera, on the Italian Riviera in the province of Imperia near the French border. The property encompasses a 600 square meter villa, a large artist workshop known as La Specola, and a one hectare garden. It preserves the intact domestic interiors and working studio of the painter Pompeo Mariani, alongside works by his uncle Mosè Bianchi and other artists. Protected by the Ligurian Superintendence for Architectural Heritage and Landscape, the estate has been part of the Italian Historic Houses association since 2008 and serves as the seat of the Fondazione Pompeo Mariani.

The property originated in 1885 as a single story cottage with a basement commissioned by Countess Fanshawe from the architect Charles Garnier. Pompeo Mariani purchased the estate in 1909 and immediately commissioned architects Luigi Broggi and Angelo Savoldi to expand the building, adding a floor, wooden balconies on the north west wing, and a balcony above the main entrance supported by Doric columns. A second expansion in 1914 was entrusted to the architect Rodolfo Winter, who extended the north western wing, enclosed the balconies, and added a terrace overlooking the sea and the French coast, bringing the villa to its current 600 square meter footprint. After Mariani's death, the property passed to his adopted daughter Mary, then to his grandson Pompeo Lomazzi. In 1998, the last descendant, Stefania Scevka, sold the estate to Carlo Bagnasco, who undertook a two year renovation in collaboration with the Ligurian Superintendency to restore the interiors and workshop to their original state using old photographs and recovered original materials.

The collection centers on the life, personal effects, and artistic output of Pompeo Mariani. The interiors retain their original furnishings alongside numerous personal items, including the artist's clothing, hats, walking sticks, razors, and talcum powder. Mariani's art collections, comprising carpets, porcelain, and ancient weapons, are also preserved within the estate. La Specola functions as a permanent exhibition space dedicated to the works of Pompeo Mariani and his uncle Mosè Bianchi, supplemented by pieces from artists such as Giuseppe Allosia, Arnaldo Esposto, and Giannetto Fieschi. The collection also includes historical biennial coffers, exhibition catalogs, and the artist's traveling paint box and palette.

Notable interior furnishings include an oak paneled credenza and a bookcase desk framing a window, both crafted by cabinetmaker Eugenio Quarti. Quarti also built the glass and wooden wall separating the atrium from the studio, as well as the message boards above Mariani's bed where the artist kept sketching paper. A pendulum clock gifted by Arturo Toscanini, depicting a scene from Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, sits on a piece of furniture in the lounge. The dining room houses a brass glass display case by Giovanni Lomazzi, created for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris where it earned an honorable mention. Outside La Specola, notable exterior elements include a pinnacle from Milan Cathedral on the left corner, and a bas relief portrait of Mariani's wife Marcellina Caronni by sculptor Paul Troubetzkoy on the right corner.

The villa's architecture reflects its gradual expansion, featuring Doric columns at the main entrance and a south facing balcony with a wrought iron parapet by Alessandro Mazzucotelli bearing the inscription Ave Mariani pictor celeberrime el to Lisander ferree. Mazzucotelli also produced the iron floral motif canopy above the workshop entrance and the garden street lights. The artist workshop, La Specola, was built in the garden by Rodolfo Winter in 1911. Its name possibly derives from the Latin specula, meaning to observe. The 250 square meter studio utilized modern construction techniques for its time, including deep foundations with metal structures to support upper floors, which were added in 1925. The studio features large windows, a skylight, and an apse at the rear containing an 18th century French sandstone fireplace. The one hectare garden occupies a portion of the historic Moreno Gardens, containing ancient species including palm trees, citrus trees, and approximately 80 olive trees between 200 and 400 years old, complemented by small fountains.

Villa Mariani is located at 5 Via Fontana Vecchia in Bordighera, Province of Imperia, Italy. The villa, its park, and all contents are protected heritage properties overseen by the Ligurian Superintendence for Architectural Heritage and Landscape. The interiors and the La Specola workshop are open to visitors. La Specola serves as the official headquarters of the Fondazione Pompeo Mariani, which maintains a permanent exhibition there. The property has been a member of the Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane since 2008 and is distinguished as one of the rare artist houses from the 19th and 20th centuries worldwide that remains accessible to the public.