Villa Sgariglia

Villa Sgariglia is an eighteenth-century country residence on the hillside above Grottammare. Its terraced garden, attributed to Lazzaro Giosafatti, combines the villa with the contours of the slope and looks across the town toward the Adriatic.

Why it matters

The villa preserves the aristocratic and agricultural landscape behind Grottammare's seaside development. Its garden is a rare terraced composition, with planting and stone ornament arranged across several levels.

What to notice

The villa rises across three levels above a semi-basement and has two polygonal projecting blocks, one containing an elliptical-plan chapel. In the garden, terraces climb toward the residence. Palms, agaves, water lilies and citrus are among the planting noted in the municipal account, alongside stone spheres, pyramids, amphorae, lions, classical busts and an obelisk. Views extend across Grottammare to the sea.

Context and history

The Sgariglia marquises built the residence in the second half of the eighteenth century; modifications were made in the nineteenth century. The garden is attributed to Ascoli Piceno sculptor and architect Lazzaro Giosafatti. Family tradition holds that the villa incorporated remains of a fifteenth-century Dominican convent. The garden has opened to visitors for special heritage events, including the 2024 FAI Spring Days.