Villa Las Tronas was built around 1880 by Count Alexander of Sant’Elias. Originally used as a hunting lodge, it underwent major transformations that altered its original layout, giving the building the appearance of a medieval castle, in keeping with the fashion popular among noble families in the early decades of the 20th century. The villa for several years was a vacation spot for nobles and literati. Members of the House of Savoy and the imperial Romanov family, the writer and aviator Antoine de Saint Exupery stayed there. In the late 1950s, the villa had new owners who used it as a hotel. Playwright Samuel Beckett, actresses Virna Lisi and Liz Taylor, actor Richard Burton, and singers Gianna Nannini and Madonna, among others, have stayed there.
