The term villa is often used in real estate to define a particular style of residential structure. The exact origin of the word itself likely comes from the Latin word vicus, or vicinus, referring to buildings that were grouped in proximity to each other. These buildings formed a central location for living purposes, which eventually became known as a villa in the Roman language and later as a village in very early Anglo-Saxon languages.
The term villa probably dates to the pre-Christian Roman era, when it referred to a group of structures that were used for the daily operations of the residence of a titled or wealthy individual. Pliny the Elder, an early Roman historian, wrote about two types of common residential arrangements. One was known as a villa rustica, which actually referred to a country estate that was usually comprised of farm land and vineyards that provided for the landowner and the servants who worked the land.
Wealthy merchants and statesmen often would build a residential structure, known as a villa urbana, that was close to the city where they conducted their business. The villa was less expansive than a country estate, usually consisting of one or two structures that served the residential needs of the owner. The villas likely became the model for the vacation homes the wealthy eventually built to escape the summer heat.
Eventually, residential villas were built around a city to give merchants and politicians a convenient location to entertain and conduct business negotiations. This style of structure became known as a villa suburbana. The homes were furnished with artwork and elaborate decor, serving as a showpiece of the owner's wealth and power. The modern Italian villa is likely based on the development of this architectural style in the late Roman eras, continuing through the beginnings of European and the Anglican cultures.
The style of design known as Italianate was defined by the development of having one or more personal residences that reflected an owner's influence and fortune. Although the early Roman suburban villas and vacation homes varied architecturally, according to the taste of the owner, a particular model of villa came to be referred to as Roman and later Italian, after the establishment of Italy as a European country.
The contemporary style of Italian villa architecture is recognized as a specific combination of elements, based on those early Roman ideas, as well as style changes that developed from European and later British designs. These elements generally include large overhanging eaves with cornice lines supported by distinctive brackets. The Italian villa style home is usually a one or two-story structure that features decorative iron work, including staircase railings, window treatments and upper and lower deck iron work.
