Imagine a university that resembles – in terms of training path, tools and methods – an American campus; now imagine that, instead of being housed in an aseptic modern building, this university institution chooses as its headquarters a beautiful noble Roman villa from the late nineteenth century surrounded by a well-kept garden, full of trees and flowers. We are in Villa Blanc, one of the hubs ofLuiss private university – Guido Carli and here, in particular, the courses and masters of the Luiss Business School.
Of course, Luiss is not a university within everyone’s reach, we could easily define it as an elite university without fear of contradiction and attending its courses has decidedly high costs. Fortunately, various scholarships are provided, so as to allow even those who are less well off to have a high level education, which trains managers and future executives.
It must be said, in any case, that the study experience in these cases repays every sacrifice. What’s more, if – as happens in all the Rome offices of Luiss (there are several), alongside the attention to innovative teaching, the exchange opportunities, the attention to contemporary themes and the numerous moments of meeting with the entrepreneurial world , students are surrounded by beautiful and pleasant environments, where studying is never a struggle. Exactly as happens at Villa Blanc.
Villa Blanc, as it appears today, is a historic building subject to restrictions which clearly shows the characteristics of the eclectic style and was born as an urban residence of Baron Alberto Blanc, who held the position of Foreign Minister in the third Crispi Government (15 December 1893 to 14 June 1894).
The stained glass window of the ballroom of Villa Blanc
Baron Blanc, born in Chambery and arrived in Rome following the ‘Savoys’, diplomat at the Court of the Bey and politician even before becoming Minister, purchased in 1893 the agricultural land owned by the Lezzani Marquises, cultivated with vineyards and located – for the time – in an agricultural suburb (we are well outside the Aurelian walls) to make it his main residence.
He entrusted the task of creating a villa with garden and adjoining park, suited to his social status, to the designer Francesco Mora, who was supported by the botanist Pietro Romualdo Pirotta and the architect-archaeologist Giacomo Boni (the latter were responsible for the design of the Winter Garden and the Ballroom and the rich decorative ensemble that characterizes all the reception rooms). The work of the artist-decorators Alessandro Morani and Adolfo De Carolis is also important in the decoration of the villa.
The eclecticism of Villa Blanc – which in some details already anticipates the New (or Liberty) style, is evident both in the architectural structure and in the materials used: a harmonious mix of marble, cast iron, wood, glass which unexpectedly manages to create a elegant and sober in its own way, despite the many references to oriental, classical, Renaissance or neo-Gothic architecture.
The main villa had a ground floor used for representation functions – living rooms, dining room, ballroom, winter garden – while on the first and second floors there were private rooms. Today all the spaces – with beautiful decorations and stucco work – are used as classrooms: even the ballroom hosts study stations.
Villa Blanc is actually a complex of buildings: in addition to the main villa, there are 6 buildings with characteristic architecture (in a couple of cases reminiscent of Swiss chalets), located in the garden and once used as garages, servants’ quarters, homes for guests. They too are part of the university center and host teaching classrooms. The café-restaurant and the reading room were created in the old stables and greenhouses.
Details of Villa Blanc
The most important representation spaces of Villa Blanc
There Hall of Mirrors: shows naturalistic decorations underlined by the use of dreamlike colors such as grey, green, blue combined with gold. At the time of Baron Blanc, a precious collection of Flemish tapestries was exhibited there, some of great value such as those woven by Pieter van Aelst which reproduced the Passion of Christ and today preserved in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and in the Musées royaux d’Art et d’ Histoire of Brussels.
There Dining room it is characterized by the presence of a large fifteenth-century fireplace on which a ‘Tree of Life’ is engraved and shows the heraldic eagle of the Blanc coat of arms.
The marble staircase of Villa Blanc
The Winter Garden it creates a fluid visual connection with the park that borders the villa however it is there Ballroom, in which the eclectic style is expressed at the highest level, to capture attention. The ceiling with carved wooden domes inspired by the Arab style of the muqarnaṣ they are a tribute to the period of his diplomatic commitment in Istanbul. The cast iron walls, worked to form a play of columns and arches decorated in floral style, are embellished with windows that reflect and amplify the external green spaces.
There monumental staircase of representation which connects the ground floor uses stucco work and precious marbles and alternates 41 small columns, between smooth and twisted. The partition of the windows above the staircase, which overlook the park and are underlined by the presence of a central statue, creates an effect of great beauty: it is difficult not to be fascinated!
On the external facade of the Villa, glazed terracotta elements are inspired by the works of the Della Robbia and depict fruits and flowers.
The commitment of the Luiss Guido Carli University in the restoration of Villa Blanc
After the heirs of the Blanc family sold ownership of the Villa and its annexes in 1950, a long period of abandonment accompanied the decline of the structure. When the Luiss University, in 1997, purchased Villa Villa Blanc at a public auction for the sum of 6.3 billion lire, the villa and its annexes were in a state of profound deterioration.
The renovation, which followed the binding requirements of the Superintendency, brought Villa Blanc back to a new beauty.
A good part of the park belonging to Villa Blanc – in which, as was the custom of the time, marble elements inspired by antiquity are found – has been separated from the university structures and made available to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood: in addition to a playground equipped for children, there is also a play area for dogs and a health trail.
Villa Blanc
Guided tours, to be booked according to the schedule, are carried out on a regular basis and allow everyone to admire the Villa and its particular architecture. The visit lasts about an hour andguides‘ are the same Luiss students (following the guided tours link you will find the dates already scheduled for the 2024 guided tours).
Villa Blanc is also generally open for extraordinary events such as Open House and FAI days.
More information on Villa Blanc
