THE TWO TYPES OF VILLAS

The historian Pliny the Elder wrote extensively about the villa. He said there were two kinds of villas. The first, called the villa urbana, was essentially a vacation home for the very wealthy nobility. They were not very far from main cities like Rome, and could usually be reached within a day’s journey by horse. Next to the villa urbana was the villa rustica, which was considered to be the servant’s quarters. Here lived the people who worked for the nobleman as caretakers of the estate. While the villa urbana was only occupied for some weeks of the year, the villa rustica was a permanent or country home, and was generally quite simple in comparison to the luxurious vacation home.

Many of the mperial villas were located near the Bay of Naples, particularly the Isle of Capri, at Monte Circeo on the coast and at Antium (Anzio). It was in these comfortable regions that the very affluent Romans sought refudge from the heat, especially in the hills surrounding the capital, Rome. Cicero is thought to have owned around seven villas, the oldest of which was inherited. It was found near Arpinum, which he inherited.

Pliny the Younger had three or four villas, one known to be found near Laurentium, and was prominently written about in his works.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE VILLA

Roman writers would often talk about how the villas were self sufficient, and the residents were often responsible for cultivating their own food, making their own wine and even pressing their own oil. This was thought to be a general indication of the increasing economic fragmentation of the Roman empire.

These self sufficient villas evolved into the monasteries, especially when they were given up to the control of the Christian church. The monks turned these villas into spiritual retreats, and found spiritual satisfaction in the rhythm and serenity of day to day work. An outstanding example of such a villa-turned-monastery was Monte Cassino.

VILLAS ALL OVER THE WORLD

Numerousvillas have been found in England, Russia, Spain and a number of other European countries. However some things remain the same. They often involved working agrarian societies of fields and vinyards, perhaps even tileworks or quarries, centered around baths and gardens. Some were simple, others were palatial, especially during the height of the Empire’s wealth.

Some villa buildings had independent structures connected their enclosed courtyards. Some rooms were made of timber which were carefully fitted with mortices and tenons and dowelled together but the more important rooms were made of stone. There are remnants of window glass which have been found as well as ironwork window grilles.

After the Roman empire the villa became a term for any self sufficient home in the rural area typically fortified and independently run. It was only in the 15th century that it became associated once more with country retreats, rather than communities. Many of them became famous for their beautiful gardens, fine architecture, and other emblems of affluence. Others, while simpler, were still surrounded by forests and rolling acres of land, making them a paradise of nature. It is to these villas that people now escape and find refuge from the ravages of city life.

One of the charms of renting or buying villas in Spain is the gorgeous architectural styles that characterize them. Spain has a very rich history and this is reflected in the arts and architecture of the region.

Spanish architecture is the amalgam of all the influences that this country due to centuries of trade, conquest, and communication. One can see the styles from North Africa, France and Italy, and all of them are reinterpreted within the Spanish culture until they emerge as a uniquely Spanish style. Truly the villas in Spain can’t found elsewhere in the world.

Antoni Gaudi, the great Spanish architect, led the Modernisme architectural movement, which was the Art Nouveau style contextualized in Catalan artistic styles. The best Modernisme examples can be found in Barcelona, where the works of Gaudi are found all over the city. These buildings are characterised by their almost surrealistic feel with dream-like qualities yet balanced by a high level of functionality. The Casa Mila with its ripple-effect walls and the Sagrada Familia, Europe’s most unconventional church filled with symbolism, are examples of Modernisme.

Moorish architecture is very common in Southern Spain, such as the Salon de Embajadores in the Alhamba, Granada, and is characterized by lavish interiors and intricately done designs based on geometry, calligraphy and plant motifs.

The Gothic architectural style was brought in by the French during the late 12th century, with few improvisations being made such as pointed arches, external buttresses, higher vaults and taller windows. One very interesting example of this style is the Leon Cathedral in Castilla Y Leon, where ribbed vaulting supports the archways and the finest display of stained glass in Spain illuminates the interior.

On the other hand buildings like the Museo Municipal in Madrid are a good example of Baroque architecture which was propelled by a desire for drama and movement, hence the extravagant decorations, exuberant sculptures and twisting columns.

The churches are fine examples of Romanesque architecture.. Romanesque style is distinguished by round arches and gigantic walls. They are scattered all over Catalonia and along the pilgrim route to Santiago, such as the Sant Climent church at Tauell in the Vall de Boi.

The Hostal de San Marcos in Leon is one example of the Renaissance architecture in Spain. It is characterized by its symmetrical design and round arches.

When you have a beautiful vacation retreat in Spain you have the potential to earn a large amount of money from renting it out to the thousands of tourists who visit the country every year. You can recoup some of your investment and have the advantage of knowing that your home is being maintained instead of being locked and kept empty for most of the year. Furthermore, the rent that people pay help cover maintenance costs so you don’t have to make any out of pocket expenses.

But being a landlord entails more than just sitting there waiting for the checks to come in. You have to plan well and to make the necessary precautions so that you only invite the most reliable people to manage your home, and allow only the most careful tourists to enter your doors.

You also have to be clear about what you want. If you rent out your property you need to set boundaries about what’s acceptable or not. This can be as straightforward as stating what kind of rules you want to implement, such as no smoking, or no children, or no pets. But aside from this you have to consider how much you want to earn from your home. The peak times of renting are the tourist season but of course this means that your home won’t be available to you during those months. You will have to visit when the home is vacant. You should also consider the price range. Are you interested in only reaping enough income to cover costs or do you wish to maximise the income to its full capacity?

Another thing you should look at is the kind of people you will choose to watch over your property while you are away. Your caretaker should be someone you really trust and who is meticulous about the requirements of keeping the house neat and in good condition. Renters will want their home to be comfortable and the price of your rent is really affected by how well your caretaker makes the place presentable. Furthermore the caretaker has to be friendly an should be able to speak good English. It is probably advisable to hire a local couple, the husband tending to the garden and other manual labor, while the wife doubles as a laundry woman and cook for the visitors. You should make sure that the couple also has the people skills to make everyone feel welcome, while still having the sensitivity to respect the renter’s privacy and to make themselves as unobstrusive as possible.