The Villa della Pergola, Relais & Châteaux’s latest property in Italy, is located in the delightful Riviera town of Alassio, a resort that’s drawn English travelers since the 19th century, although it’s not as well known to many Americans as Portofino and the villages of Cinque Terre.
Alassio, like other seaside havens on the French and Italian Rivieras, were mainly cold-weather getaways until World War I, and while they didn’t offer Caribbean-like temperatures, they did provide a balmy enough climate during winter to justify the trek south. A number of those who came to visit built villas in which to escape England’s chilliest months and enjoy the stunning seascapes of the Gulf of Alassio. Villa della Pergola was one of these properties, constructed in the 1800s by a British general, Montagu McMurdo, on land that had belonged to local aristocrats, the counts of Lengueglia. The villa then saw a succession of owners, one of whom, Daniel Hanbury, son of the renowned horticultural philanthropist, Thomas Hanbury, famous for establishing the Hanbury Botanical Gardens near the French border, greatly enhanced the variety of the plant collections in the garden, considered among the most beautiful in Italy today.
Relais and Châteaux properties are known for their strong sense of place and historic richness. Villa della Pergola retains the aura of its evocative past, not only with those remarkable gardens; the estate’s architectural style also serves as a striking visual reminder of the English presence in Alassio more than a century ago. Rather than opt for a classic Mediterranean villa, the first house McMurdo constructed, Il Villino, incorporated elements of Anglo-Indian design that reflected the period tastes of British military and government personnel who had spent time on the sub-continent. Another dwelling, an actual Villa della Pergola, exhibits an even more diverse style, including a roof with a majolica-topped dome. There are 15 suites, each dedicated to a personality well-known in the town’s English community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, according to Alessandra Ricci, whose parents purchased the estate in 2006 with other investors. They include composer Edward Elgar, famous for “Pomp and Circumstance” among many other works, prolific author Cecil Roberts and artist Henry Scott Tuke. The suites, spread out over four residences, have a bright modern-classic style, accented with antiques and period paintings. The compound also houses a small museum with memorabilia and books from the Victorian and Edwardian periods.
Villa della Pergola’s gardens are a destination in their own right (open on weekends to the public from March to November by reservation) and are part of the Grandi Gardini Italiani, a network highlighting the country’s top garden sites. Consisting of more than five acres and blending English and Italian horticultural styles, the garden is noted for its wisteria collection with nearly three dozen varieties of the plant. (To see them at their peak, it’s recommended visiting—weather depending—from late March to April. ) The Hanbury family so loved wisteria that they gave an annual party for members of the town’s Anglo-Alassian community to celebrate its bloom. The garden has a rich variety of other flowering plants and shrubs like hydrangeas, bougainvillea, jasmine, irises and roses that blossom, depending on type and the weather, in periods from March through November. Trees long associated with the Mediterranean landscape, like maritime pines, cypresses and olive, almond and citrus trees also grace the property. The garden has the most extensive collection of Agapanthus in Europe with over 500 varieties.
While aspects of Villa della Pergola’s architectural style and garden design reach well beyond Italian borders, its restaurant, Nove, focuses primarily on the flavors of Liguria, the region where where you find Alassio, with some culinary influences derived from nearby Piedmont and not-that-far-away France. Sourcing is highly local, with ingredients coming from the villa’s gardens and a nearby sustainable farm focused on Ligurian produce The restaurant, headed by Giorgio Servetto, a native of the nearby town of Savona, was awarded its first Michelin star last November.
For visitors coming to Villa della Pergola in summer there’s a swimming pool with panoramic views (a new infinity pool overlooking the Gulf of Alassio is in the works). Excursions for a private beach stay can be arranged (Alassio is famous for its long sandy beach.) There’s tennis available at the historic Hanbury Tennis Club, founded by David Hanbury in 1923, along with other sports and activities like golf and biking, or walking along an ancient Roman road, the Via Julia Augusta. You can also explore western Riviera towns like Cervo, Finalborgo and Laigueglia, listed among I Borghi più Belli d'Italia, that are short drives (between 10 and 30 minutes) away.
The announcement about Villa della Pergola becoming a Relais & Châteaux property was made late last year, so the hotel is experiencing its first high season as a member this summer. When asked about the new affiliation, Nadia Finelli, the hotel’s Maître de Maison, says that it “has only strengthened our values and underlined our passion for our guests. We share the hospitality vision, a strong love for our territory and a respect for artistic and cultural heritage.”
