Villa Fidelia

Villa Fidelia stands outside Spello's walls on ground occupied by an ancient sanctuary. A country residence, terraced gardens and later architectural alterations give the estate a layered character.

Why it matters

The villa connects the religious landscape of Roman Hispellum with the history of aristocratic residence. Ancient retaining walls and temple remains underlie a setting later shaped for gardens, domestic life and art collections.

What to notice

Terraces, stairways, fountains and geometrically arranged planting organise the slope. Surviving ancient masonry reveals the earlier sanctuary's scale. The residence and casino reflect several remodelling campaigns rather than a single architectural moment. The combination of formal garden and archaeological remains is central to the estate's character.

Context and history

The sanctuary area developed in antiquity and included major works in the Augustan period. The villa has sixteenth-century origins, with substantial changes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Teresa Pamphili Grillo is associated with the eighteenth-century garden. Cesare Bazzani contributed to twentieth-century remodelling. The estate later passed to the Province of Perugia and became a setting for cultural uses.