Villa Zanelli, Art Nouveau villa in Legino, Savona, Italy

Villa Zanelli is a three-story building in the Liberty style, located in the Legino district of Savona, with curved window frames, floral ornaments, and a wide facade facing the coast. The building sits on a plot that reaches down to the beach, so the full facade can be seen clearly from the seafront.

Built in 1907 for sea captain Nicolò Zanelli, the villa stayed with the Zanelli family until 1933, when it was sold to the municipality of Milan and turned into a camping site and international colony. During the Second World War it served as a hospital camp. After a partial collapse in 1998 it closed, and restoration work began in 2020.

The villa's name comes from sea captain Nicolò Zanelli, who had it built in 1907; the Zanelli family kept it until 1933, when it passed to the municipality of Milan. Milan turned it into a camping site and international colony, and after the Second World War it served as a hospital camp. Since the 2020s the restored rooms have been intended for a hotel, a museum and a historic park.

The villa stands along the beach in the Legino district, its garden once again crossed by the original paths reinstated in the Dodi Moss restoration. After reopening in March 2024 with three days of open days, it still had no operator as of December 2024, so access is not guaranteed. Check locally before travelling to the site.

Red cross markings from the period when the building served as a military hospital during the Second World War are still visible on the outer walls. These traces are rare on a building otherwise known mainly for its decorative artwork.