Villa di Francia

The Palazzo di Francia, located at the northern end of the historic center of Vibo Valentia, on the top of via Gioacchino Murat, was built at the end of the century. XVIII on a project by Giovan Battista Vinci.

The palace and the adjoining park, declared to be of notable historic, artistic and environmental interest, have been subjected to protection by Decree of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage on 30 May 1981.

The palace is one of the rare examples, currently existing in Calabria, of a masonry factory with a wooden frame, application of that constructive model reported in the "Istoria de' tremuoti" by Giovanni Vivenzio according to the "Instructions for the engineers commissioned in Calabria Ulteriore".

The decision of Luca Vincenzo Di Francia, Treasurer General of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to build a new palace in Monteleone at the end of the 18th century, is linked to the seismic events of 1783 and to the damage suffered to his oldest residence.

Luca Vincenzo di Francia non dimorò mai nel suo nuovo palazzo, che, sin dalla sua definizione progettuale, più che semplice dimora patrizia, volle essere presenza, nella Calabria Ulteriore, della Corona Borbonica. Alla morte di Luca Vincenzo, l'intero complesso architettonico venne diviso tra i due eredi i cui discendenti vi abitano tutt’ora.

Over the course of its two-hundred-year history, the palace has hosted numerous personalities and rulers. In particular, in 1810 King Joachim Murat was hosted when he came to Calabria to direct an expedition against Sicily (where King Ferdinand I had taken refuge under the protection of the English).