Exterior view
by PONZELLO, Giovanni, Photo
The Villa Imperiale Scassi is a historic noble residence in the Genoese district of Sampierdarena, built in the 1560s by the Ponzello brothers for Vincenzo Imperiale. In 1801 it was bought by Onofrio Scassi, a rich doctor and university professor.
The architects were inspired by the style introduced in Genoa by Galeazzo Alessi, and in particular by the design of Villa Giustiniani Cambiaso di Albaro, transferring the loggia from the ground floor to the first floor.
The Villa Imperiale continued Alessi’s Roman villa style in Genoa by placing the building block on the main axis at the head of a formal garden affording views of the sea. It incorporates a dense decorative scheme with paired half-columns and pilasters, paired consoles topped by a frieze, balustrades and mezzanine cartouche window-frames.