Villa Isnard, Early 1900s French Riviera-style villa in Cascina, Italy.
Villa Isnard stands on via Sant'Ilario in Cascina, near Pisa. It has a sloping slate roof, long narrow windows and a central turret, an architectural type typical of the French Riviera that sets it apart from the surrounding buildings. Inside were a Japanese salon, an Egyptian room and a hall of mirrors.
Villa Isnard was built in the early 1900s for the French heiress Maria Isnard, who moved there after marrying the physician Aurelio Bianchi in 1892. The couple's home was frequented by noble Pisan families and European aristocracy, and by the young aviation pioneer Giuseppe Cei, whom the Bianchi family supported in his studies. The villa is now abandoned and cannot be visited.
The interior features rooms designed in different styles, including a Japanese salon and an Egyptian chamber, reflecting the European tastes of wealthy families at that time. These spaces show how affluent residents drew inspiration from distant cultures and exotic aesthetics.
Villa Isnard stands on via Sant'Ilario at Cascina, near Pisa, and is abandoned: it cannot be visited, and there is no restoration programme under way. Its slate roof and central turret can be seen from the street, where the building contrasts with the surrounding houses.
Local residents have shared stories of unexplained occurrences within the building, including mysteriously displaced furniture and the collapse of a wall separating it from a neighboring property. These accounts have become part of the estate's local folklore.
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