Villa Barattolo

Villa Barattolo is located in an area known as “Villini”, characterised by two rows of Art Nouveau ‘Liberty-style’ villas on either side of a public garden, and was the summer residence of part of the capital city until the middle of the last century.

The Villa spans three floors, covering approximately 1,000 square metres, and has a breath-taking panoramic view of the valley and the historic centre of Rocca di Papa, extending all the way to the sea in the direction of Pomezia. It was constructed using local tuff and peperino stone.

The ground floor formerly housed two kitchens, two storage rooms, a bathroom and rooms for the servants’ quarters. The first floor, meanwhile, was used as the family’s living space, featuring a large living room with wide lowered arches in the load-bearing walls and a Vietri ceramic tile floor. It also included three guest rooms and a bathroom. On the second floor, there was a private apartment with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study and a small sitting room.

In the mid-1930s, the Villa’s annex was built, the roof of which was used as an extension of the terrace. A connecting walkway turned it into what was called a ’round on the world’, which was used as a dance floor and a spot for taking postcard-worthy photographs.

The history of Villa Barattolo
Built at the beginning of the 1900s by wealthy Milanese bourgeois Achille Franzosini, the Villa was sold in 1917 to lawyer Giuseppe Barattolo, a significant figure in the silent film industry of the time. Villa Barattolo subsequently became a venue for parties and receptions for political, industrial and film industry personalities, such as Emilio Ghione and Francesca Bertini.

During the wartime period, the Villa was occupied by evacuees and was the object of many thefts, which included the disappearance of all the statues in the park, as well as other kinds of damage to the property.

In 1949, it passed to the Barattolo heirs, and in 1989, it was purchased by the Regional Authority of the Park of Castelli Romani and renovated with funding from the European Community for the housing of the Park Authority’s offices.

The Park
The Villa is surrounded by a 7,500 square metre park with a garden and a small wooded area, where a nature trail with information panels and educational stations, as well as a pond, has been created. The park is currently undergoing renovation work.

On the north side of the property, at the end of the path that crosses through the park, stands the Oratory, which the family also used as a private chapel for intimate ceremonies.

Facilities and services at Villa Barattolo
Inside the park, picnic tables are provided for use by the public. There is a nature trail in the outdoor garden (which is currently undergoing maintenance work). This educational path, developed along the natural slope of the forest, is dedicated to environmental and educational activities for schools, particularly aimed at primary and lower secondary levels. The path serves as an open-air laboratory, with pedagogical activities that can be adapted according to the ages of the children, starting from a purely playful approach and progressing toward a more scientific methodology, based on the individual’s knowledge and direct field experience.

Visiting Villa Barattolo
Villa Barattolo is now the headquarters of the Regional Authority of the Castelli Romani Park and the building is used for their administrative offices.

The interior is opened to the public on designated days, while the exterior is always accessible (please note that the park is currently undergoing renovation work).