Villa Webber

History

In the early 1800s, Baron Giorgio Andrea Agnès Des Geneys bought land in Padule, south of La Maddalena, from a "patron" named Francesco Santucci and built a house there. The land and two small neighbouring plots included a vineyard of more than 4,000 vines, a vegetable garden, and enclosures for livestock. Upon the baron's death, the property was sold to a traveling Englishman, Sir Hyde Parker, and subsequently to another Englishman, James Phillips Webber. The latter expanded the estate and built his villa on it, which was named Villa Webber.

James Phillips Webber, after whom the villa was named, was born in Overton, Flintshire, Wales, on the 27th of July 1797, the first of three sons. His father Edward, was a career army officer who attained the rank of Lieutenant General. James's mother, Charlotte Margaret Phillips, married Edward in 1789. She was descended from Dutch colonists who emigrated to North America in the early 17th century and settled in Yonkers, near New Amsterdam, present-day New York. When the English took those lands from the Dutch, the Phillipse family stayed in the place and integrated with the victors. Charlotte's great-grandfather, Frederick Phillipse, amassed a large fortune, having obtained extensive land grants from King William and Queen Mary II of England in 1693.

In 1821, James Webber sailed from London to try his luck in the colony of New South Wales. He acquired a significant land grant in Tocal, near Newcastle and held important public offices, including that of local magistrate. Webber was one of the pioneers of the wine industry in Australia, and the mounds of his vineyard are still visible at Tocal. In 1834 he sent vine cuttings from Tocal to George Wyndham's vineyard at Dalwood, which in the 20th century became the well-known Wyndham Estate winery. Webber's library at Tocal held one of the largest private book collections in the colony. After Webber sold Tocal in 1834 he established his main residence in Italy and became a successful merchant who traveled widely. In 1850 Webber settled on the island of La Maddalena, where he built the villa.

He died in Pisa, Italy in 1877, and bequeathed his estate to Maria Tamponi, wife of Webber's adopted son Luigi Alfonso Russo Webber, along with their four children. Following Maria's death in 1928, the heirs were unable to sell the villa. …

Arson attack

In 1865, the Webber pine forest near the villa was almost completely destroyed in an arson attack. The trial registered at the court in Tempio and at the Sassari Assize Court, to provide means to reconstruct the story.

In a complaint to the prosecutor of 1865, Webber states that his suspicions fell on Natale Berretta and his son Antonio. The legal disputes between the Webber and Berretta families had been numerous. As a young adolescent, Berretta was sent to Spargi to learn the art of trading. While on the deserted island, he focused on agriculture by fencing off certain areas of land, which allowed him to establish exclusive ownership of almost the entire island. Natale owned land in La Maddalena adjacent to Webber's. There were frequent disputes arising from this proximity. During the trial, Webber reported to the judge that Battista Olivieri and his son Pietro claimed to have seen a man starting the fire in the pine forest on the night of the incident, and that they identified the man as Natale Berretta. The attorney general in Cagliari indicated Berretta and ordered his capture. Berretta escaped, and the legend of the bandit Berretta hiding on the island of Spargi was born. After more than a year as a fugitive, Natale turned himself in at Sassari Prison. He was armed with a defence and witnesses willing to challenge the testimony of the two Olivieri. There is no trace in the court documents of the participation of the two Olivieri in the trial, who were not even cited despite being the key witnesses who had led to Berretta's indictment. In 1869, the jurors ordered Berretta's immediate release. Webber and his adopted son remained steadfast in the face of all Magdalenian public opinion, while the two Olivieri were accused of madness.

Architecture style

Villa Webber was built in the early 1800s in a Moorish style. It was initially built as a fortress, surrounded by walls of thick stone, of which some reached 7 meters in height. The Villa has multiple rooms, arched windows, lancet arches and a view of the sea around La Maddalena.

Over two floors, the villa has a total area of 80 000 meters cubed, of which 55 000 consisted of rooms and living areas and the remaining 25 000 meters cubed, were utilized as hotel accommodation for guests. The ground floor held a dining area, with kitchen and rooms for the servants of the villa, while the second and top floor had a separate dining room, with over 20 paintings, a library and living accommodations for guests.

Garden and surroundings

The villa is surrounded by a large garden, originally filled with plants from all over the world, from James Webber's travels. In 1882, the garden was described as containing: two citrus fruit gardens; four square areas for winter agriculture; an area for fruit plants; an olive grove; and, wild pine trees. The villa also had a channeling system which was connected to a large reservoir which held thousands of hectolitres, which still survives. Of the original garden and plants there remains century old trees, junipers, holm oaks, olive trees, pines and typical Mediterranean plants.