Villa Poss, Italy

Villa Poss is a crumbling Italian manor house. It is beautifully placed overlooking a stunning lake. This once-grand residence has been abandoned since 1950s.

We visited this location in the Summer of 2018.

History of Villa Poss – Villa Della Torre

Villa Poss is also called “Villa Della Torre”; “Villa of the Tower”. Initially, the villa included a tower into the design. The tower itself purportedly dated back to medieval times. Unfortunately, the tower collapsed along with another part of the house.

The villa was built and extended in various stages over the 19th Century. There have been three significant periods of construction; each relating to a change in ownership.

The gardens which surround Villa Poss are vast. This parkland once contained greenhouses, caves, bridges, gazebos and stables. These gardens would have once been verdant, with over 150 species of plants. When the building was in its prime, it must have been spectacular. The tower and upper floor terrace would have offered spectacular panoramic views of the lake.

The crumbling Italian villa with an uncertain future

In addition to decades of looting and vandalism, Villa Poss was hit by a vicious storm around 8 years ago. A large area of the villa has collapsed, and the upper floors are treacherous.

The house is in a very poor state of repair. The main area of interest is the staircase. Colourful marble decorations decorate the walls. Traces of curtains still cling to the windows.

Like many of these formerly grand buildings, there were plans to renovate. It was proposed to convert the building into a hotel, overlooking the lake. More recent plans involve an ambitious art gallery, and performance space.

However, looking at the state of Villa Poss today, it is unlikely this will happen. It appears that the villa and 60,000 square meters of land are for sale for a whopping 28 million Euros.