Villa Pastrone

Site overview

The historic residence of director Giovanni Pastrone, a pioneer of Italian silent cinema, the villa is a treasure chest telling the story of over a century of art, history, and timeless charm. Villa Pastrone is an elegant Art Nouveau villa consisting of two buildings within an 8,000-square-meter park in the Lanzo Valleys, specifically in the hamlet of Richiardi. The villa, comprising three floors with 26 rooms and an annex (dépendance) that houses a ballroom, is protected by a park adorned with centuries-old trees, an elegant fountain, and statues of significant artistic value. Villa Pastrone belonged to Giovanni Pastrone, director of “Cabiria” (1914) and considered a pioneer of the seventh art as the creator of Italian silent cinema. It is said that some scenes of the blockbuster, partially written by Gabriele D’Annunzio, were filmed right in the rooms of the villa. For several years, it remained abandoned and, thanks to the new owners, Vittorio Cassano and Stefano Caraffa Braga, it is regaining its ancient splendor. A first building was erected in 1899 by Giuseppe Rapelli, who could not complete it and sold it in 1902 to Oscar Salussoglia. Salussoglia finished the main villa and had the annex built, including a ballroom on the first floor and other small rooms on the ground floor dedicated to conversation and billiards. In 1922, Salussoglia sold the entire complex to Giovanni Pastrone, and between 1921 and 1924, the main building was modernized according to the designs of engineer Giuseppe Maria Giulietti, taking on late Art Nouveau characteristics. Sold in the 1970s by the Pastrone heirs, the property passed through several families via successive sales, until it was purchased in 2023 by the current owners. Today, it preserves the original floors and frescoes from the early 20th century, particularly the ballroom, which is richly decorated and fully furnished.