Villa Argentina

Villa Argentina in Viareggio can be considered one of the greatest examples of the modernist language of the city and the entire Versilia region.

Originally built in 1868, its current structure is due to work in 1926, when Galileo Chini helped to embellish it. Its decorations adorn the exterior of the villa, which displays one of the greatest examples of ceramics intended for architecture by Fornaci Chini, of Borgo San Lorenzo: checkerboard motifs, putti, plant triumphs and oriental decorations run throughout the facade.

The decorative arrangement recalls, even in its colors, the traditional motifs of Florentine Renaissance majolica, an important point of reference for the Chini manufacture. On the ground floor, in the large room once used as a ballroom, a large painted canvas triptych covers an entire wall: it is the Matrimonio persiano, a work by Giuseppe Biasi made in 1930 for the Counts of Sant’Elia, then owners.

A characteristic Art Nouveau wrought-iron staircase leads to the upper floors, accompanying visitors to a beautiful terrace.

Today, after lengthy restoration work to protect its considerable historical and artistic value, Villa Argentina is open to the public and is enlivened throughout the year by exhibitions and cultural events. Located a few hundred meters from the Pineta (pinewood), it is an ideal stopping point during a walk in Viareggio.