Villa Urselli

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Aristocratic mansion build in front of Villa Romano and located in Monteroni di Lecce, Italy, at the heart of "Valle della Cupa". The façade dates back to the late 1800s (early Art nouveau-period, with a style spelling into the Victorian English architecture). Among the three main entrances, the premier door leads into an octagon-shaped ballroom (mirroring Castel del Monte's towers and shape). Villa Urselli includes two floors with the "honour stair-case" leading from the Italian-style formal garden to the "piano nobile" through a vast front-terrace. Within the piano nobile original features include frescoes and floor-mosaics. The garden is characterised by centuries-old cycas (very ancient plant, one of the few Caenozoic-born species still surviving nowadays). The estate's lesser buildings include staff's and gardeners' accommodation as well as country-life facilities.