Villino Astaldi, Rococo villa near Villa Torlonia, Rome, Italy
Villino Astaldi is a two-level villa in Rome where the upper floor was added in concrete and creates a clear contrast with the traditional lower section. The building combines classical design with a modern addition from the 20th century.
Engineer Adolfo Sebastiani commissioned the villa in the early 1900s for his daughter Valeria through two architects. Later, in the 1950s, the building was fundamentally altered when a new concrete floor was added.
The villa served as a gathering place for Italian writers and thinkers from 1950 to 1980, who met here to discuss literature and ideas. Visitors can still see the rooms where these meetings took place.
The villa is located near Villa Torlonia and is relatively easy to reach when exploring the area around Rome. It is best to visit during daylight hours to see the details of the building and the contrasts between the different building styles.
The building shows how two completely different construction eras collide, with a lower part in classical style and above it a raw concrete element that looks like a scientific experiment. This unusual combination makes it a fascinating example of Rome's architectural development in the 20th century.
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