On the extreme tip of the Sestri Levante peninsula, between Portofino and the Cinque Terre, this wonderful villa has hosted the greatest names in design and architecture. It is a rare example of rationalist architecture, declared “National Monument of Modern Architecture“.

Legend tells us that the peninsula of Sestri Levante originated from the forbidden love between the merman Tigullio and the mermaid Segesta. The place where the Danish writer Christian Andersen stayed in 1833, publishing shortly after the story “The Little Mermaid”, perhaps inspired by this fascinating story.

It is right here, on the extreme tip of a cliff, just 15 km from Portofino and 25 from the Cinque Terre, that the architect Luigi Carlo Daneri, drawing on the language of the master Le Corbusier, designed a charming villa between 1938 and 1940, now for sale (https://www.lionard.com/stunning-sea-facing-villa-in-sestri-levante.html). A place of peace and beauty, surrounded by 2.3 hectares of parkland to guarantee total privacy; a corner of paradise far from the frenzy of contemporary living.

Belonging to an Italian publisher and frequented by the big names of design and architecture, publishing and business, the villa is a rare example of unaltered, rationalist architecture. The house was recognised as a National Monument of Modern Architecture by the Italian Ministry of Culture as “an essential testimony to Italian architecture of the twentieth century”.

Completely renovated, including the furnishings designed by Daneri, the house has been restored to its original architectural value and is exclusively available through Lionard Luxury Real Estate S.p.A. (https://www.lionard.com/). The building was designed in relation to the environmental context, with a careful balance between the intimacy of the interior spaces and the absoluteness of the landscape. The functional rigour, the clarity in the distribution of the rooms and the state-of-the-art technology make it, as Giò Ponti wrote: “A dwelling, intended not as an accommodation, but as a theatre for human actions of life and thought, work and contemplation”.

Once the construction was completed, the villa was published in the prestigious magazines Casabella (October 1940) and Domus (January 1941) and in the 1990s by Abitare. A suggestive path in the woods and a staircase lead to the private beach with exclusive access to the sea. With a swimming pool, sun terrace and ample parking, the villa has 1,100 square metres of interior space that includes the main building and two independent annexes. The house is spread over three floors with nine bedrooms and six bathrooms, ideal for accommodating numerous guests.

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF Lionard Luxury Real Estate

ABOUT LIONARD

Founded in 2008, LIONARD Luxury Real Estate S.p.A. immediately established itself as a leading company in the Italian luxury real estate market. Thanks to a portfolio of about 3,000 luxury properties with a total value of over 14 billion euros and an average per property of 4.89 million euros, the company successfully meets the needs of a national and international clientele looking for extraordinary properties. With four offices in Italy, located in the most prestigious locations in Florence, Milan, Rome and Naples, and a development process that involves the opening of other offices in Italian cities of great strategic value, LIONARD S.p.A. employs a team of Real Estate Consultants with in-depth knowledge of real estate.