Villa Nesci is a historic building in Reggio Calabria, located on via Reggio Campi, in the hillside part of the historic centre, and is one of the finest examples of Liberty style in the city.
What to see
Enclosed within a large private garden bordered by a long brick wall, the villa was built in the period following the earthquake of 1908; the rich decorative plasticity of its façades, with the sinuous lines typical of the Liberty style, reaches its highest point in the lintels of the arched openings, the wide balconies supported by columns and the top cornices. The decoration was also achieved through a new technique for modelling mortar and artificial stone, obtained by mixing cement with sand and marble or travertine aggregate, smoothed and polished to imitate marble on the columns: work so carefully done that the building has survived to this day, nearly a century later, in excellent condition.
Windows and portals are topped by friezes with floral motifs, framed by columns and pilasters with classical capitals; particularly elaborate is the eaves cornice, which rises above the windows into a semicircular pediment bearing the family's coat of arms flanked by a pair of putti, while the top balustrade is marked by pilasters decorated with garlands and crowned by shell-shaped acroteria and large vases holding stone globes.
Visiting
The villa is private property: it can be admired from outside along via Reggio Campi, while the garden is generally not open to the public.
Our editors' tip
Look above the windows for the family coat of arms between the two putti: it is the most intimate detail of a villa that, despite its public elegance, still retains the character of a private residence today.
