Chapter Le ville dei Togati nel Seicento. Un museo di antichità nella masseria dei Muscettola a Villanova
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Firenze University Press
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In the 17th century, the hill of Posillipo was the site of Villa Muscettola, a rare example of a farmhouse-museum, constructed between the 1630s and 1650s by Giovan Battista, a Neapolitan magistrate, with the intent of housing his extensive collection of ancient and modern statuary. Conceived as an open-air exhibition space, the residence was later bequeathed to his brother, Francesco Antonio. Drawing upon a wide array of archival sources, the essay reconstructs the villa’s history and architectural features, while emphasizing the pivotal role played by magistrates in the development of suburban villas within the Neapolitan landscape. The villa’s decline during the 18th century and its disappearance from the urban fabric—particularly following the proliferation of multi-storey buildings from the 1960s onward—underscore the importance of recovering its historical memory.