Villa Durazzo

A large romantic park overlooking the Gulf of Tigullio with a splendid seventeenth-century villa in the heart of Santa Margherita Ligure the historical park of Villa Durazzo extends for three hectares and its origins are due to the Durazzo family who had built the large Alessian style villa in the seventeenth century. The two families that followed one another, the Centurione in the nineteenth century and the Chierichetti in the twentieth, expanded the park which today is made up of three main parts. The little “Citrus Garden”, situated on the step terraces above the sea, is the oldest part, dating back to the Durazzo family who, with orange, lemon and grapefruit plants, wanted to create the green backdrop from the sea towards the villa. The “Italian Garden” was developed in the XIX century; the outline is characterised by the geometrical lines of the box-tree hedges, embellished by numerous cycads, some of which are very rare, as well as roses and several species of camellias of rare beauty. In the XX century, the final work on the “Romantic English wood” was begun, going down along the slopes of the hill. Here, there is a wide range of palm trees which mingle with holm-oaks, cypresses, camphor trees, lime trees and pine trees, in an impressive mingling of exotic and Mediterranean flora.