Villa Gruber De Mari, Neoclassical villa in Castelletto, Genoa, Italy
Villa Gruber De Mari is a neoclassical residence in Castelletto, Genoa, with a facade topped by a relief-decorated pediment and Ionic pilasters and capitals. Below it a panoramic terrace links to the English-style park through a scissor stair with converging flights. The complex also holds a 16th-century guard tower and an Art Nouveau annex on the park's eastern side.
The De Mari family built the villa in the second half of the 16th century, together with a guard tower of the same period. In 1664 it hosted Stefano De Mari, Doge of the Republic of Genoa. The present look dates to the late 18th century, when the Columns' Room was added and the facade rebuilt in Neoclassical style. In 1856 the property passed to the Austrian industrialist Adolf Gruber, whose name it still bears.
The name comes from Adolf Gruber, the Austrian industrialist who bought the villa in 1856; the original umlaut was dropped over time. The De Mari family's private chapel became the church of Santa Maria della Sanità, and the villa later housed the Museo Americanistico Federico Lunardi before its transfer to Castello D'Albertis.
The park grounds surrounding the villa are maintained by the city of Genoa and remain open to the public. The gardens are accessible while the main building is undergoing renovation work.
A member of the De Mari family once served as Doge of the Republic of Genoa, one of the highest positions in the city's government. This title shows the political power the family held in Genoa.
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