Villa Fondi
Piano di Sorrento
Hidden gemHistory & archaeology
The story
The villa of the de Sangro family overlooking the gulf, with a garden sheer above the sea and the Georges Vallet archaeological museum gathering the finds of the peninsula.
Access
FREE
The story
Villa Fondi, at Piano di Sorrento, is a nineteenth-century residence facing sheer above the sea, over the Marina di Cassano: the Prince of Fondi had it built in 1840. Damaged by the 1980 earthquake and restored, since 1999 it has housed the 'Georges Vallet' Archaeological Museum of the Sorrento Peninsula.
What to see
The panoramic park of the villa, with a nineteenth-century garden and the reconstruction of the mosaic nymphaeum of a Roman villa; and the museum, with the finds of the peninsula from the third millennium BC to the imperial age, the Greek pottery and the mnema (funerary monument) of the mythical king Liparos, founder of Surrentum.
Tips
The park is public and free to access, with a magnificent view over the gulf; the museum has its own entrance and hours: check on the official channels (Regional Directorate of Museums). You are at Piano di Sorrento, handy along the peninsula.
Frequently asked questions
What is Villa Fondi?
A nineteenth-century villa of Piano di Sorrento facing the sea, with a panoramic park, which since 1999 has housed the 'Georges Vallet' Archaeological Museum of the Sorrento Peninsula.
What can you see at the Georges Vallet Museum?
Finds of the Sorrento peninsula from the third millennium BC to the imperial age, Greek pottery, the mnema of king Liparos and the reconstruction of a mosaic nymphaeum in the park.
Can you visit the park of Villa Fondi?
Yes, the park is public and free to access, with a view over the gulf; the museum in the villa has its own entrance and hours.
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