Monuments to be restored for public use
VILLAJOYOSA mayor Andreu Verdú announced that this year the council will restore two well-known monuments – the Villa Giacomina and Malladeta tower – so they can be opened for use.
The planned work on both monuments, which are located very close to each other in the Malladeta hills, includes the restoration of their exteriors and interiors, ‘based rigorously on the historical documentation obtained by the municipal historical heritage department’, he noted.
The restoration of Villa Giacomina will also include its gardens, which will then be open to public or ‘semi-public' use by citizens and tourists.
The drafting, execution and management of the project will
have a budget of €850,000. Work is expected to start before the end of this year..
Mayor Verdú said: “The aim is to restore the original appearance of one of the most emblematic and photographed monuments of our rich heritage, the Villa Giacomina – in order to continue recovering and preserving our history, opening it up to the people of Villajoyosa and visitors.”
Heritage councillor, Xente Sebastià, explained that his department had made a strong commitment ‘to recover and enhance the value of the municipality’s monuments’ to return ‘all the splendour and charm to one of Villajoyosa’s most visited natural areas’. Villa Giacomina was built in 1920 by Alfonso Esquerdo Iborra (nephew of the famous Dr. José María Esquerdo). It is named after his wife, Giacomina Bellami de Borgi, daughter of an important builder, who was also a freemason, like Alfonso himself. Masonic symbols are evident in several parts of the building, which is beautifully decorated on the outside and based on the medieval architecture of three religions. After the Civil War, the Italian Littorio Division, which took Villajoyosa for Franco's side, occupied the house and caused the first damage.
Its abandonment worsened from the 1960s onwards.
Nearby stands the Malladeta tower, built by Dr. José María Esquerdo. The exterior was recently restored, but the council plans to reform the inside as well.