The Building
Originally a Jesuit convent, this villa was bought in 1740 by Count Tommaso Saffi, Aurelio’s great-grandfather, to be used as a summer residence. For a long time Aurelio Saffi, triumvir of the Roman Republic and patron of the Fatherland, lived there with his wife Giorgina. His memory and that of the historical events in which he was a protagonist or participant is very much present in the furnishings and in the numerous personal testimonies, with books and heirlooms of extraordinary interest. Also significant are the traces of Giuseppe Mazzini‘s presence in the villa, a guest here on several occasions.
The charm of the complex is enhanced by a park of plane trees, cypresses, magnolias and other ancient trees.
Currently ‘Villa Saffi’ is a ‘House Museum’ and is included in the circuit of the ‘House Museums of the Poets and Writers of Romagna’.
Aurelio Saffi and Giorgina Crauford Saffi
Aurelio and Giorgina Saffi met in London in 1851 and married in 1857, returning to Italy in 1860.
He, a lawyer and republican politician, of ardent Mazzinian faith, was elected to the parliament of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. She, in love with the Italian national cause and Mazzini’s ideal, was active in the same years around the great issues of the civil and moral education of young people and the condition of women.
In 1867, the couple moved permanently to the villa in San Varano. Here, Aurelio continued his commitment to the organisation of the Republican Party and participation in local politics. Villa Saffi also became the venue, codenamed Amaranto, for secret meetings of Carbonari. After Aurelio died in the villa, Giorgina devoted herself to collecting her husband’s writings and letters sent by Mazzini to the family.
Currently only the gardens are visitable.