Villa Giacomina: A study in historicist architecture

Villa Giacomina is a rural mansion that stands as a notable example of historicist architecture in the province of Alicante. Located just over a kilometer southwest of Villajoyosa, the building features rich architectural decoration related to masonry. Its history includes being used as a hospital during the Spanish Civil War and being occupied by the Italian Littorio Division, which caused the building's first significant damage.

Completed in 1920 by Alfonso Esquerdo, the building was named after his wife, Giacomina Bellami. The architecture is a late historicist style; the western facade imitates Andalusian palaces and features Hebrew symbology in its windows. The main facade and courtyard arches imitate flamboyant Gothic style with curved lines and conopial arches. The structure incorporates a mixture of Islamic, Christian, and Jewish religions, and several architectural details have been linked to masonry. The house is organized around a single courtyard with a central aljibe, surrounded by a gallery with Gothic arches, except for the western wing which reproduces polychromed Ataurique friezes from Andalusian-Islamic palaces.

The mansion is surrounded by a large esplanade delimited by a crenellated wall that reinforces its neo-medieval character. On the summit of the hill stands a tower built in the late 19th century by Dr. José María Esquerdo as a private library and studio. Nearby are the ruins of a site created around 350 BC and abandoned around 75 AD. This site underwent two major reforms around 100 BC and 25 BC and was probably dedicated to the Mother Goddess. Currently, the Ayuntamiento de Villajoyosa works with the University of Alicante's Grupo de Investigación en Restauración Arquitectónica (GIRA) to investigate the building for future rehabilitation.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons