In densely populated cities like Rome and Florence, you become accustomed to seeing one apartment block after another. So, it came as a pleasant surprise to come across two detached homes in the Oltrarno area of Florence. Not only that, but they were designed in what I would term an art deco manner. (If I’m wrong in using that term, I hope someone will correct me. Is it art nouveau, perhaps?)
Here is the first beautiful example, followed by some of the details of the exterior of this home.
Here is the second home, which was right next door to the first one.
I found them very beautiful, and such a change from the sometimes soulless apartment blocks. Wouldn’t it be good to be able to see the interiors of these homes?
Hello World 
If you like Art Nouveau Architecture Then Prague and Paris have to be your destinations.
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Thanks for the tip, John!
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How delightful it was to see these photos. Gorgeous architecture. Thank You showing them.
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I really like that architectural style, and was so surprised to see it in Florence.
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Beautiful on the outside, I can only imagine what the inside looks like.
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With the amount that would have been spent on the exterior, I’ll bet the architectural delights continued inside, and the original furnishings would have reflected the Art Nouveau style. We can only imagine, eh?
I found some beautiful images of Art Nouveau furniture via an internet search.
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When we compare to the buildings in concrete of nowadays , we remain stupefied in front of such sculptures for decoration
Love ❤
Michel
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Michel, may I confess I was stopped in my tracks by these beauties? Imagine having the imagination and daring (and the money) to be able to create something like this. ❤ to you, too.
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Yep. I like ’em too. I would love to leave my house on ten acres in Ballarat and find a pensione to just sit in it and write poems and novels and letters to dear friends. And then perhaps I wouldn’t look forward to getting old as I do now.
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What a good plan!
Speaking of plans, our mutual colleague, Andrew, has put forward a suggestion as to how I could gain access to these beauties. (See below.) I have suggested that you would make an excellent partner for this caper. (Too bad Ramona isn’t available.)
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Knock on the door and say you are distantly related to the architect. You’ve come to see if everything is alright under the 100 year warranty. You will need to take photos of course.
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Cool! What an excellent plan, and fool proof, I reckon. (Maybe I can recruit suchled to help me?)
Oh, wait, the houses are more than 100 years old, so I’ll be offering them an extended warranty.
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Oh. Thanks a lot. I think I feel a story coming on. Let’s see if the boys pulls off the robbery. But I don’t think Andrew is reading mine so I’ll have to go it alone.
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Darn it, we’ll have to give Andrew a nudge.
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The style is Art Nouveau, called Liberty in Italy. We have many examples in Lucca as well.
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I sure do like it, Debra. I think I’ve seen a few examples in Melbourne, come to think of it.
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I would love to see the interior of some of these homes also, and what beautiful art work on the outside.
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They’re certainly not dull and boring, are they?
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These seem too early and too decorated to be Art Deco, perhaps more toward Art Nouveau. They remind me a bit of the Liberty style residences that populate the Lido in Venice, but with more decoration. Here is a great resource for Lido architecture, by the way: http://www2.comune.venezia.it/lidoliberty/scheda/242.htm
And, here is a blogpost about Art Nouveau in Florence that seems about right: http://www.anamericaninitaly.com/2012/12/11/art-nouveau-in-florence/
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Cool! I was hoping you’d have time to respond, Randallo! There were a number of buildings in Trieste which showed this type of architecture, also, and they did call it “Liberty”. Yay, more research to do, thank you.
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One of your finds is Villina Lampredi (1907-10), architect Giovanni Michelazzi. He also designed Villino Broggi-Caraceni (1910-11) nearby. I think these are the ones!
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My cleaning of the driveway will not happen today, Randy! Thank you so much for the resources you have tracked down. I no doubt walked past that splendid example on Borgo Ognissanti and didn’t even notice, Grumble.
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Here’s a photo of Villino Broggi-Caraceni, another one I missed. It looks splendid. https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattiacam/16820870617/
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OK, now I’ve got them both, Randy. Now, I want to get back to Florence!
The first one in my post is the Villino G. Lampredi, the second is Villino A. Lampredi.
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I do have a request though….next time can you get more detail on the creatures above the upper balcony doors? And the colorful panel above them ….pretty please?
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Until I can go back and get better conditions for the photos, try stopping the slide show on the photo(s) you want, save the picture and then edit in Picasa where you can enlarge/crop, etc.
Or ask Max to go and take some photos, I can tell him what street to go to, it’s not all that far from his apartment.
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I don’t know which architectural style they are but I like them a lot.
Count me in with the rest of the bad crowd.
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The architectural details are wonderful! Do you think if you stood and stared at these homes long enough, you might have been invited to come in? 😉
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How be we round up some of the Bad Crowd and do just that, Susie?
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Y, you know that I am in! I am always ready for some Bad Crowd action.
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They are lovely and I’m guessing that whoever built them and whoever lives in them now was/is very wealthy.
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And, I’ll bet they have more domestic help than we do, Darlene!
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