If you’re familiar with the St Julian’s and Sliema promenade, you’d definitely have spotted this building one time or other. While walking along the front, it's hard to miss this dilapidated house that was once an incredible and extensive villa, known as Villa Vincenti.

Villa Vincenti

The villa was designed in the modernist style and built by architect Gustavo Romeo Vincenti, a renowned Maltese architect who was responsible for the construction of the Vincenti Buildings in Strait Street, Valletta. Villa Vincenti was his own personal residence, with gorgeous views of Balluta Bay, the church and the Med.

The villa, being of considerable size, has not one, but two entrances: from Main Street and the other from Gorg Borg Olivier Street (the side of the promenade). The garages under the house (at street level on the side of the promenade) were full of vintage cars that were quite the sight to behold.

Fun fact: if you look over the railings on the promenade, you can see a passageway that links the sea to the villa. The building is highly valued because of this exclusive passageway, in fact.

The villa nowadays

Unfortunately, the villa has been left to crumble for many years and is now essentially part of the furniture that makes up St Julian’s. There’s a mysterious story surrounding the house, from what we could gather. Gustavo had one heir; a son named Hilaire who passed away this year at the age of 92. It seems he lived an unhappy life, but a humble one despite the wealth. Whatever the issues may be, we hope that this beautiful building won’t bite the dust and will instead be restored to its former glory.