Recovery of a fragment of Oonnese history: the “Red House” of Capo Berta
Text by Roberto Beniamini
“Almost every day at the market you can meet an old gentleman who arrives with a basket constructed of thin lists made from long hazel branches. At the bottom of the basket a newspaper acts as insulation, on top is laid a gray-green bundle of olive tree branches: moistened with seawater they will keep the fish cool, in the absence of ice.
The gentleman with the basket is a distant relative of Angiolo Silvio Novaro, one of the founders of the house of Olio Sasso, the one who ran the company’s ante litteram “house organ” on which Deledda, Pirandello and Boine collaborated.”
(from “Polis, Ideas and Culture in Cities”)
From the pier of Oneglia, turning your gaze toward Capo Berta, you can see a villa perched on the cliff, bright red in color: it is the home of the poet Angiolo Silvio Novaro. A building that has crossed time, remaining imprinted in the collective imagination of the city.
A symbol dear to the city
The “Red House” has always been a landmark for Imperia: curious and charming, it elegantly overlooks the sea as the Aurelia runs alongside it. Its architecture, vibrant and harmonious, holds family, cultural and artistic memories.
A place dear to generations of Imperia residents, who have cherished its image in their memories and affections.
The restoration project
Today, the villa has regained its former splendor thanks to a thorough restoration project, designed and directed by Architect Roberto Beniamini of Imperia
The intervention was desired and supported by Dr. Giorgio Novaro, great-grandson of the poet, who inherited the mansion a few years ago. Driven by a deep sense of responsibility to the memory of his aunt Cristina Carruthers, he chose to safeguard a heritage that was in danger of being lost.
A restoration that respects history
The restoration involved both the building and the landscape context, restoring value to the history and Art Nouveau aesthetic of the villa.
A meticulous job that included:
A new element: the swimming pool
To complete the intervention, an overflow swimming poolhas been built overlooking the sea, in harmony with the landscape and the architecture of the villa.
In the interior, a b>baiole planted with palm trees pays homage to the surrounding nature, integrating contemporaneity and respect for tradition.
A rediscovered heritage
Today the “Red House” is back to life, renovated but true to its essence. It is not only a precious example of historic architecture, but also a symbol of affection and belonging, an emotional link between past and present that continues to nourish the collective memory of the city of Imperia.
