Villa Scorpio Greenhouse, Italy

Villa Scorpio is a large abandoned house in Italy. It was once the residence of a local gentleman of industry, the owner of a large cement works (which now, also lays forgotten). The villa seems to have been built at the end of the 19th Century. The house is sadly empty, apart from a few scattered pieces of old furniture.

The grand staircase and upper landing are very ornate, and the large rooms have wooden-panelled ceilings or are decorated with plaster reliefs. On the upper floors the ceiling has collapsed in some of the rooms, as the villa succumbs to the ravages of time. Villa Scorpio is currently up for sale. Hopefully, a prospective buyer immerges to save this place before it is too late.

The impressive house sits within large and overgrown grounds, with many examples of exotic trees and plants. It is clear the owner took a lot of pride in this immense botanical collection.

The star attraction here is the unique greenhouse, which has a rather unusual Japanese or Chinese theme. This indoor garden features the remains of a rockery, and what was once a spiral-armed water feature. Wicker lanterns are suspended from the ceiling on beams supported by sturdy chains. At one end, a large fan-shaped window leads into a smaller greenhouse. Vines and branches reach into the greenhouse through smashed windows, and creep across the floor in an attempt to reclaim this magical place.