Villa Caristo

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PERIOD RESIDENCE
"Residenze d'Epoca" is the brand that identifies castles and historical residences of excellence with at least 100 years of history. Villa Caristo is located in the municipality of Stignano in an enviable natural position. The villa, for its fine beauty and uniqueness, was chosen alongside the royal palace of Stupinigi, the Villa dei principi Mellone of Lecce, and the palace of the Prince (Doria Pamphili) of Genoa for the philatelic series "Le ville d’Italia" issued by the Italian postal service in 1984. It was also included by Legambiente in 1996 in the group of Italian monuments to be preserved.
Its name appears in a document from 1310 ("Presbiter Leo de Stignano"), providing a truthful testimony about the fate of the future hamlet of Stilo. Etymological research on the term "Stignano" still leaves the boundaries of civic history open. According to some scholars, the name would derive from the Greek "stenòs," meaning narrow or tight, while according to a more established study, it would be a name taken from the town from the Latin term "Stenianum," indicating the possession or villa of a Stenus or Stenius.
STIGNANO
At the foot of the village nestled on a hill, the Precariti stream flows. The village has retained medieval characteristics with houses leaning against each other. The internal streets, in some places, are so narrow that they do not allow the passage of cars. Life revolves around Piazza Forzio, which offers a spectacular view of the Ionian coast. This is precisely the area where Villa Caristo was chosen, nestled in so much land and sea splendor.

Posizione

89040 Contrada Scinà Stignano Rc
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History

It is a large eighteenth-century villa in the shape of a "U" and is considered one of the most significant examples of baroque art in Calabria, certainly designed in Neapolitan circles, where the figure of Vanvitelli was a factotum. Immersed in brilliant greenery surrounded by olive trees, gardens, and fountains, it immediately captures the visitor's attention for the harmony of architectural solutions adopted throughout the complex. Typical of the Vanvitellian style, which left our Calabria with jewels of high architectural value. A driveway opens the doors of the monumental villa, which at first glance resembles Carditello, dominated by an external monumental stone staircase that rises on both sides. Crossing the beautiful garden that frames the house leads to the entrance, made important by a stone staircase that rises on two sides and a fountain surmounted by a marble group in which Tancredi rescues Clorinda. However, it is not the only fountain placed in the complex; there is a more sober one in white marble with a polygonal base and two smaller circular basins. The third fountain, that of the dolphins, separates the structure from the pool. The motif of water, indicating abundance, reflects the healthiness of the place where Villa Caristo was built.
Despite the state of abandonment that disappoints the traveler who loves this type of work even today, on the ground floor, one can notice frames, stuccoes of exquisite workmanship, and arches that testify to the Vanvitellian imprint. On the ground floor is a gentile chapel with three altars, which houses a statue of San Leonardo and two frescoes credited to Vanvitelli for its construction, although it is certain that the construction took place with the help of local craftsmen. Indeed, everything suggests that the work was also assisted by local craftsmen highly devoted to baroque art. Upstairs, two large terraces and a sumptuous hall, on whose roof the goddess Venus is superbly depicted. Probably during the Villa's grand periods, lavish lunches and local parties promoted by the owners of the monument took place here. Near the villa, there is an outbuilding with an oven and an oil mill, where without a doubt, the master's servants resided.