Villa Trossi Uberti

Villa Trossi Uberti in Livorno's Ardenza quarter combines a late-nineteenth-century residence with a park and an art collection. Its name preserves the link between the Trossi and Uberti families and their patronage.

Why it matters

The villa records the relationship between domestic collecting and the city's artistic life. Its later transfer to civic ownership connected that private inheritance with the foundation established to support art.

What to notice

The square-plan house rises through three floors to a tower. Painted decoration, marble fireplaces and palladiana floors give the interiors their residential character. Works associated with the collection include portraits by Vittorio Cavalleri and a ceiling canvas by Giulio Aristide Sartorio. Sculptures in the park add an outdoor dimension to the ensemble.

Context and history

Giorgio Gori designed the villa for Louise Coventry, marchesa di Santasilia, during construction in 1886–1889. Carlo Trossi acquired it in 1918, and the marriage of Corinna Trossi and Dino Uberti gave the residence its combined family identity. Corinna's donation of the villa and artworks to the city underpinned the creation of the Fondazione d'Arte Trossi-Uberti, extending the house's connection with art beyond the family's ownership.