Villa Crespi

Not to be confused with Villa Crespo.

Villa Crespi is a 19th-century Moorish Revival-style rural mansion in the town of Orta San Giulio, Province of Novara, Piedmont, Italy; it is located southeast of the town, on Via G. Fava 18, near the shores of Lake Orta and below the Sacro Monte di Orta. The Villa is now a luxury hotel and restaurant managed by chef and restaurateur Antonino Cannavacciuolo, which has been awarded with three Michelin stars.^[1][2]

Villa Crespi
Villa Crespi in Orta San Giulio
Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Former names	Villa Pia
General information
Architectural style	Moorish Revival, eclectic
Location	Orta San Giulio, Piedmont, Italy
Coordinates	45.7964°N 8.4161°E / 45.7964; 8.4161
Current tenants	Antonino Cannavacciuolo
Construction started	1879; 146 years ago (1879)
Client	Cristoforo Crespi
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Angelo Colla
Front view of the building
Restaurant information
Established	1999; 26 years ago (1999)
Owner(s)	Relais & Châteaux
Manager(s)	Massimo Raugi
Head chef	Antonino Cannavacciuolo
Chef	Simone Corbo
Food type	Italian
Rating	Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Best of the Best (5th, 2023)[1]
Website	villacrespi.it

The Villa, notable for its scenic minaret-like tower and interior atrium decorated in stucco arabesque,^[2] owes its name to the wealthy cotton merchant Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, who commissioned its construction to architect Angelo Colla [it] in 1879 as his family holiday home and wanted it to remind him of the buildings he had seen during his working trips to the Middle East. It was once also called Villa Pia after Crespi's wife.^[3]

In 1914, it was the location for the film Iwna, the Ganges' Pearl (original title Iwna, la perla del Gange) by Giuseppe Pinto.^[4]