- UNESCO
- Free 1st Sunday
Photo: Waage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Period
- Modern era, 1930
- Area
- 1,034 m²
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 43°53′40″ N, 8°02′41″ E
- Address
- Via Fanny Roncati Carli, 38, Imperia (IM)
History and description
Villa Grock, originally Villa Bianca, is a building in Imperia, Liguria. It was the home of Charles Adrien Wettach (1880–1959), a Swiss clown best known under his stage name Grock, who for a period was the most highly paid entertainer in Europe. Since 2013, the building houses the Museo del Clown.
History
Grock first visited Imperia, a coastal town on the Italian Riviera, in 1920 to meet his inlaws. He built a small villa for them in 1922, named Villa Bianca, which may have referred to his stepdaughter's name or the white colour of the building. Over the next few years, Grock vacationed at this house after his tours and gradually had it expanded. In 1927, he acquired a larger, triangular plot and began to enlarge it to a 3-storey house with 47 rooms, in which he lived for the remainder of his life.
Architecture
Grock was heavily involved in the creation of the house and its decorations, which combine Jugendstil and Art Deco with Persian, Baroque and Rococo influences. The garden has elements that allude to circus culture, clowning and Grock's interests in astrology and astronomy.
Open to the public
The province of Imperia acquired the building in 2002. It underwent restoration, opened to the public and was turned into a museum, Museo del Clown, which received money from the European Union and opened on 20 August 2013. The museum is intended to present clowning to adults and children and exhibits many of Grock's belongings. It offers interactive multimedia installations, clown-related games for children and a collection of estoreric and Masonic prints.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Villa Grock».
Timeline
- 1930Built and opened
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
ImperiaTrain, nearest
1.1 km as the crow flies
Villa GrockVia Fanny Roncati Carli, 38, Imperia (IM)
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
Loading map…
Nearby
See on the mapMore historic villas and palaces in Liguria
- UNESCO
- UNESCO
- UNESCO
Frequently asked questions
Where is Villa Grock?
Villa Grock is in Imperia, in the province of Imperia (Liguria), Italy. Address: Via Fanny Roncati Carli, 38, Imperia (IM). GPS coordinates: 43.89442, 8.04467.
How old is Villa Grock?
Wikidata dates it to 1930.
What else is there to see near Villa Grock?
Nearby you’ll find: Museo dell'Olivo (500 m away), Museo di arte contemporanea di Imperia (1.6 km away), Palazzo del Governo (2.2 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Villa Grock southeast — Waage, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Imperia - Villa Grock - la fontana — AGiupponi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imperia - Villa Grock - particolare — AGiupponi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imperia - Villa Grock — AGiupponi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imperia Oneglia, villa Grock, décoration du parc — Paul Bissegger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imperia Oneglia, villa Grock, dôme dans le parc — Paul Bissegger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Imperia Oneglia, villa Grock, façade d'entrée, cartouche daté 1930 — Paul Bissegger, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Veduta Villa Grock Imperia villa lato sud — Lias21, CC0
- Villa Grock southwest — Waage, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences