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Villa
Arbusto |
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The Archaeological Museum of
Pithecusae is on human settling remains from the Neolithic Age
and the Bronze Age.
Villa Arbusto is so called from the toponym of the place where
the villa is: a name that appears in a document of the 17th
century. This construction is in a beautiful position: it is
opposite headland of Mount Vico; while close to the park, at
Mazzola, there is the metallurgical quarter of the 8th century
BC. |
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The Arbusto farm was bought in
1785 by Don Carlo Acquaviva, duke of Atri. Here the nobleman
made build a country lodge, that is the present villa, with a
big garden at the back, in which there are a small building for
guests, a chapel, a stove for therapeutic use, some warm
fumaroles and a big tank for the rain water collection. |
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The villa is portayed in a
coloured etching by Reverend Williams Cooper, chaplain of a ship
of Orazio Nelson’s fleet .
In 1805 Acquavivas’ male line was dried up and other people
bought the villa, in particular the Biondi family from Naples.
In 1952 the villa was bought by the famous publisher and film
producer, Angelo Rizzoli, who became infatuated with Lacco
Ameno, so that he wanted to trasform this town. In fact thanks
to him the spas and piazza Santa Restituta were renovated; the
Regina Isabella Hotel, the Sporting Hotel and the |
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Reginella Hotel were built.
Nowdays the external part of the villa is unchanged; but inside,
with the demolition of the superstructures brought by Rizzoli,
in order to make the villa a luxurious house, was renovated the
original arrangement of the rooms. Finally in the garden there
are rare plants, original perfumes from all over the world.
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The park was designed because it
had to be the unifying element between the villa and other
buildings which are on the hill. Moreover it showed a harmonious
integration between the vegetation and architectonic
suggestions, among colonnades, grillages and pergolas.The
fountain, which is in the garden near the villa, is beautiful.
Rizzoli wanted to renovate the original place, also the
vegetation, "a beautiful example of botanical cosmopolitism"
(Prof. Giuseppe Sollino).
In Villa Arbusto there are native to Australia: a beautiful
fifty-years-old casuarina tree with green-gray branches, an
eucalyptus and an evergreen grevillea, whose leaves are covered
with silky down. Native to the Southern America there are: the
colletia paradoxa with small white flowers which emit a perfume
similar to milk; a jacaranta with blue-violet flowers in
cluster, that it is one of the most beautiful trees all over the |
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world. Native to Brazil is the
feijoa, that in autumn produces sweet fruits. Finally native to
America is the |
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