QUI SU L'ARIDA SCHIENA
DEL FORMIDABIL MONTE
STERMINATOR VESEVO

(Here on the barren back
Of the formidable mountain,
Exterminator Vesuvius)

GIACOMO LEOPARDI
WROTE

LA GINESTRA E IL TRAMONTO DELLA LUNA

 

Villa delle Ginestre

At the foot of Mount Vesuvius, in a magnificent panoramic location dominated by the volcano on one side and the Gulf of Naples on the other, stands Villa delle Ginestre, which hosted Giacomo Leopardi in his final years.

The Villa was built in the late seventeenth century by Canon Simioli as a summer residence, often hosting prominent figures of Neapolitan culture, including Luigi Vanvitelli, who probably designed the staircase leading to the upper floor.

The residence later passed to Simioli's niece, who married Diego Ferrigni. From their marriage came Giuseppe Ferrigni, who in 1826 married Enrichetta Ranieri, sister of Antonio, a close friend of Leopardi.

It was at this moment that the Villa’s destiny intertwined with that of the poet: Ferrigni made the residence available to Leopardi, whose frail health benefited from the area's mild climate. Thanks to Ferrigni, a politically active lawyer and magistrate, founder of the authoritative Neapolitan constitutionalist periodical Minerva Napolitana, and a man with vast cultural, particularly philosophical and literary interests, Leopardi was surrounded by a vibrant intellectual environment.

The Villa's current name refers to one of the two poems Leopardi wrote here: La Ginestra (The Broom) and Il Tramonto della luna (The Setting of the Moon).

Around 1847, the Ferrigni family moved to Naples, and the Villa resumed its function as a summer residence. In the late nineteenth century, a nephew of Giuseppe Ferrigni married Adelaide Leopardi, the poet’s great-grandniece, and they briefly lived in the Villa, where the young bride passed away.

In 1907, the Villa was inherited by Antonio Carafa, great-grandson of Giuseppe Ferrigni. During that period, the residence underwent renovations, including the creation of the three-sided portico supporting the upper terrace, giving the Villa its current appearance. In 1937, in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele III, the Villa was declared a National Monument, marked by a commemorative plaque.

Since 1962, the Villa has been owned by the University Federico II of Naples. Currently, the site is managed and promoted by the Fondazione Ente Ville Vesuviane, which has created a museum itinerary highlighting the poet’s room, preserving its historic structure and furniture. The narrative of Leopardi’s stay in Torre del Greco and Naples continues in the other rooms on the first floor through audiovisual experiences appealing to both students and travelers.

La Ginestra or the Flower of the Desert

Qui su l'arida schiena
Del formidabil monte
Sterminator Vesevo,
La qual null'altro allegra arbor nè fiore,
Tuoi cespi solitari intorno spargi, 
Odorata ginestra,
Contenta dei deserti. Anco ti vidi
De' tuoi steli abbellir l'erme contrade
Che cingon la cittade
La qual fu donna de' mortali un tempo,
E del perduto impero
Par che col grave e taciturno aspetto
Faccian fede e ricordo al passeggero.

 

(Here on the barren back
Of the formidable mountain,
Exterminator Vesuvius,
Which no other tree nor flower cheers,
You scatter your solitary bushes around,
Fragrant broom,
Content with the deserts. I've also seen you
Adorning with your stems the lonely lands
That surround the city
That once ruled over mortals,
And of that lost empire,
With solemn and silent appearance,
You seem to bear witness and memory to the passerby.)