Villa Signorini in Ercolano is a place where time seems to have stopped, but above all an icon of Vesuvian hospitality. Its large garden is one of the few intact parks of the Vesuvian villas in the area with pools, fountains, statues and centuries-old trees.
The central part is a beautiful example of an Italian garden, while the two lateral ones were the ancient agricultural appurtenances of the villa.
Villa Signorini pearl of the Golden Mile
At the back it borders the woods of the Royal Palace of Portici, the summer residence of the Bourbons, on the front the gaze can wander to the excavations of Ercolano and then embrace the entire Gulf of Naples, from Punta Campanella to Capo Posillipo, and upstream the panorama is dominated by Vesuvius and the Royal Palace of Portici.
For some time, after having been guests and visited some of the most beautiful Venetian villas between Venice and the Riviera del Brenta, we had the desire to be captivated by the faded charm of the Vesuvian villas of the Golden Mile, a UNESCO heritage site. Not much remains of these ancient residences of the Neapolitan nobility whose splendor and majesty of the late Neapolitan Baroque have often been violated by brutal building interventions. A few exceptions such as the splendid Villa Campolieto and some other residences transformed into hotels such as Villa Signorini.
Behind the Rococo façade, the villa concentrates the history of the golden age of this territory between Portici and Ercolano, not by chance called the Golden Mile and so called for the presence of 122 marvelous eighteenth-century villas, of which today very few maintain the splendor of the past.
Built during the 1700s, the villa was renovated in the early 90s of the last century by engineer Corrado Sorbo, manager of Villa Signorini Events & Hotel. The first owner of Villa Signorini was Don Andrea Alfano, but already in the early 1800s the property passed to Giovanbattista Cirelli and later to Luigi Gaetani dell’Aquila d’Aragona. At the end of the 19th century it was sold to Carlo Brancia, Prince of Apricena and in 1911 it was purchased by Paolo Signorini, owner of Cirio.
And Signorini transformed the façade by adding the two flights of stairs that characterize the façade overlooking the park and that connect the terrace of the piano nobile with the garden. Villa Signorini was inhabited by the homonymous family until 1980, when due to the terrible earthquake that on November 23rd hit Irpinia and many areas of Campania, the piano nobile was evacuated and only the rooms on the ground floor remained occupied. But it was not the earthquake that caused the greatest damage to the structure but rather the abandonment of the following decade during which massive water infiltrations seriously damaged the decoration of the ceilings on the piano nobile.
The renovation works, which saved the floors and fixtures where possible, have given Villa Signorini its noble appearance, making it the ideal place to spend a pleasant stay, but also to host cultural and entertainment events, parties and ceremonies. The rooms are large and elegant and all the rooms on the main floor are finely decorated both on the vaults and on the walls.
Very beautiful is the telescope view that from the main door on the street, through the internal courtyard, extends over the greenery and the fountain of Leda with the swan, the fulcrum of the entire garden, behind which stands one of the two pavilions of the villa.
In the enchanting park, the ancient citrus grove has been restored, but the real stars are an almost century-old camellia and the iron grillage with cast iron columns from the late 19th century that separates a part of the greenery from the square where a Greek column stands out. In a more private area, the blue mirror of the swimming pool opens up, where you can cool off on the hottest days and get a tan at the solarium served by a bar.
Villa Signorini is a historic hotel but in step with the times, equipped with a restaurant called Le Nuvole, with an elegant atmosphere, with professional and at the same time friendly staff and a menu that reflects the gastronomic heritage of the region. We wanted to taste the classic and well-made octopus Luciana style, the seafood scialatielli and the tasty pasta “ammiscata” with beans and mussels, to end on a sweet note with a delicious babà.
The hospitality of engineer Sorbo and all the staff who pampered our Otto was also exquisite: Villa Signorini welcomes pets, so those of us who travel with our four-legged friends can enjoy moments of peace and relaxation in the company of our faithful friend. A great added value is the parking inside the large park among the citrus trees that allows you to leave your car and reach the city center with short and pleasant walks, the excavations of ancient Herculaneum buried by the eruption of Vesuvius, the Bourbon Pier and the Royal Palace of Portici.
The only flaw: our room, very comfortable because it was located on the ground floor and overlooked the garden where Otto also found his space and his bowls, was adjacent to the room where breakfast is prepared so in the morning very early we were woken up by a chorus of voices and the sharp knocks of the coffee being prepared: we joked about it in the room in front of a steaming cappuccino!
Villa Signorini
Via Roma 43, Ercolano (NA)
Info: +39 081 7776423 – info@villasignorini.it
