VILLA: WHERE CISMARINA WAS
BORN

The Villa District is one of the most significant in the history of the City of Cismarina: on its coast, in fact, King Paolo III Magno made the first landing, discovering the new territory while sailing from Grontolom towards the west; the neighborhood itself takes its name from the mighty Villa built on the coast, next to the exact location of the first landing.

Originally, the terrain in the area was hilly and anything but flat, remaining so until several cycles after the construction of the Villa. In fact, the challenging terrain of Villa remained unused long after the construction of the first important buildings in the Chirichia and the Centro Storico Districts.

The leveling of the land in front of the Villa opened up vast spaces for the subsequent construction of the Municipal Theater, Villa Square, and the wide streets leading south to Monte and west to the grand Cathedral of Cismarina.

The Villa

The Villa of Cismarina is an engineering masterpiece: here new construction techniques were first studied, such as for the arches of the enormous corridors of the gallery built on the first floor overlooking the sea. The arches of the house were filled with dirt to maintain the characteristic curved shape during the construction of the floors and to prevent monsters from growing in the dark void between the vault and the floor. Additionally, huge rooms were built on the ground floor and first floor dedicated to leisure and study, in the first example in Cismarina of a combination of aesthetics and use. The Villa of Cismarina is still one of the most imposing buildings in the City and remains the largest governmental residence of all those built.

The Campidoglio

The Capitol ("Campidoglio"), built on the hill northwest of the Villa, was for years the tallest building in the City. Its construction was originally intended as part of a larger governmental complex (hence the name "Capitol") of which it was to be the central dome. Its original shape is based on the structure of the Mole Antonelliana in Turin. The structure of the Capitol has recently been renovated to make it more modern, in a controversial restoration that, however, has restored its splendor to the building. Additionally, recently the Capitol has been designated as the site of the Memorial of the Glorious Governors of Cismarina and Grontolom.

The Teatro di Cismarina

The Cismarina Theater is located in the southwest part of the Villa Neighborhood. With a foyer, boxes, and side stairs to descend to the corridors of the dressing rooms carved out of the underground stone quarries used for the immense construction of the Cathedral of Cismarina. The theater's structure is classical on the outside but contains innovative elements inside, such as the scale-like skylight on the roof that allows the entire hall to be illuminated by natural light throughout the day.