La Villa Valerio (- Sevastopulo), il “Castelletto” dell’Università”, costruito dai Valerio, proprietari di una rinomata fabbrica di cioccolato, nel 1862, in una posizione splendida. La villa è una casa signorile in stile neocastellano, coronata da merlature attorno a tutto l’edificio e con una larga torre ottagonale, nel corpo della quale è stata ricavata una scala monumentale. Il parco era pieno di fiori, alberi da frutta e vigneti. Dopo il dissesto della ditta, la villa fu acquistata dalla baronessa Penelope Sevastopulo, nel 1935, e dal 1962 è proprietà dell’Università degli Studi di Trieste, che vi insediò gli istituti biologici delle Facoltà di Scienze e Farmacia. (Dino Cafagna)
Il Castelletto alla luce del tramonto. Foto: Elisabetta Marcovich
My father in law was a driver for a British Army officer in the Second World War, and had a room in the attic. The Baroness kept the ground floor, and the officers took over the upstairs, their drivers having the attic rooms.
Ten years ago, my wife and I returned to Trieste with him, some 65 years since he was last there. We found the castle and were lucky enough to be taken inside by a lady who was connected to the university. We went up a small staircase to the side and found his old room. It hadn’t changed! We came down a grand staircase which he had not been allowed on before, and saw the beautiful painted ceilings and walls for the first time. Outside, he even showed us a bench by a tree, where he used to do his courting, with a local girl!
I want to thank that lady for making that day so special for him. He could not have dreamed of returning but the memory stayed with him until he sadly passed away some years later.
it’s a beautiful and moving story, thank you for telling us