A suburban villa owned by the noble Manca family of Villahermosa, it was built in the late 18th century by the interesting figure of Don Stefano, later Marquis of Villahermosa, known as a refined art patron and modern agrarian experimenter. Located in a pleasant position between the hills and the sea and surrounded by a park rich in tree species and tall trees, the upstream facade connects to the Italian garden by a pincer staircase, adorned with marble busts in the neoclassical style, while the elevation facing the sea blends harmoniously into the natural landscape through a shady portico topped by a sunny terrace; in the large courtyard, monumental specimens of Ficus Magnoliodes of the typical aerial roots. Famous for having hosted illustrious historical figures, including the Duke of Genovese, Carlo Felice of Savoy with his consort Maria Cristina of Bourbon, who were bound by fraternal friendship with the owner, it preserves in its interior original antique furniture and precious furnishings variously dated from the Spanish to the Savoy age. Among the most striking rooms are the Chinese Drawing Room, with its 18th-century wall hangings painted on paper that re-propose the orientalizing taste typical of European courts of the time, the large Vestibule with its trompe l’oeil-decorated ceilings, and the bedrooms of Maria Cristina and Carlo Felice of Savoy with their ancient beds and related canopies covered in silk curtains.
