Villa Zanelli

Villa Zanelli is located in Savona (Italy), it was designed and built in 1907 by Gottardo Gussoni and Pietro Fenoglio, two of the most important architects of the Italian Liberty style. The villa was commissioned by Captain Nicolò Zanelli (from which it takes its name). It has a large garden in communication with the sea. Until 1933 it belonged to the Zanelli family and then it was sold to the municipality of Milan which transformed it into an international campsite. During the Second World War it was used as a hospital field (traces of red crosses are still visible on the external walls of the tower).
From 1967 it became a facility used for the treatment of heart patients. In 1998, the collapse of a part of the building required the closure of the hospital for safety reasons, pending a restoration. Since then the villa has been in a completely abandoned state. Villa Zanelli is one of the symbolic villas of the Italian Liberty and Belle Epoque (the Belle Epoque in Italy is known as the Umbertina / Giolittiana age).