Cucullera's History

The fortified villa of “Cucullera” rises up in the district of Alli, only six kilometres from the splendid beaches of the Ionian Sea, wrapped in the embrace of a luxuriant citrus orchard. When, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Barons of Marincola purchased the lands bathed by the Alli river stretching from the foothills of the Sila as far as the Ionian coastline, the already-existing oil mill of Cucullera was completely restructured as the Baroness BiancaMaria Costanza wanted to make her summer residence there. Before long the top floor of the villa was erected, the sides of which were girded by two splendid turreted towers that are still standing. Illustrious gardeners at the service of the Viceroy of Spain were summoned from Naples to transform the areas in front of the mill into a splendid garden overflowing with precious plants that can still be admired today. The works lasted seven years and in the end the Baroness was so enchanted by the beauty of the villa and the mild climate that she decided to make it her refuge and moved there permanently.

[more...]