Beyond the Walls: Dubrovnik’s Noble Villas and the Art of Otium
Inside Dubrovnik’s famed stone walls, life has always been woven tightly into the narrow streets and towering buildings that hide glimpses of the city's aristocratic past. The Old Town is full of narrow streets and tall, space-challenged houses, leaving very little visual evidence of the city’s aristocratic legacy. Although there is plenty of fine architecture within the city walls—especially when it comes to the former city-states’ governmental buildings like the Sponza Palace and Knežev dvor—family homes tend to be hidden behind plain stone facades. Private grandeur was rarely put on public display.
However, an aristocratic villa culture did exist outside the city walls, where Renaissance houses with walled gardens remain a prominent feature of the Dubrovnik landscape. In fact, during the height of Dubrovnik’s power, it’s believed there were upwards of 200 such Renaissance gardens in the region, creating a vibrant network of cultural and social life. Unfortunately, due to development, negligence, earthquakes, destruction from war, and the overall effects of time, much of this significant aspect of Dubrovnik’s history, life, and architecture has been lost. Dubrovnik’s Noble Villas
At the forefront of all the buzz was Humanism, a movement that emphasized, among many things, the importance of being at harmony with nature. No better place for this philosophy to flourish than along the Dalmatian coast, where the climate and landscape nurtured both body and spirit. It was during the 14th century that Dubrovnik’s wealthier families first started building second homes outside the city walls. The number of these villas increased enormously in the 16th century, when it became a standard aspiration of noble families—and wealthier non-noble families—to have a retreat in nature. These villas were more than mere summer houses; they were integral to the social fabric of the time, embodying the concept of villeggiatura—a rural or suburban retreat from the city that integrates cultural and agricultural uses.
These estates were designed not for ostentatious display but as symbols of refinement, embodying the Renaissance ideal of otium, a term that encapsulates a way of life dedicated to leisure, contemplation, and personal growth. In the context of the Roman elite, otium represented a state of being free from the burdens of work and public duty, allowing individuals to engage in intellectual pursuits, artistic endeavors, and philosophical discussions. It was the antithesis of negotium, the busyness associated with public and commercial responsibilities. The villas offered both the luxury of space and access to the outdoors, frequently located near the family’s fruit orchards, vineyards, and olive groves, serving both economic and leisure purposes.
Within the villa grounds, gardens were often divided into box-hedge quadrants, with pergolas to enable shaded strolls, and possibly even a fishpond connected by a small channel to the seafront outside. Outward extravagance was considered bad form among Dubrovnik’s nobles, so these second homes were rarely showy or palatial; instead, they provided serene escapes where families could engage in leisurely pursuits, intellectual discussions, and cultural gatherings.
The villas themselves became centers of social life, where discussions about the latest developments in business affairs or the arts took place, and where parties featuring music or plays would unfold. They were frequently adorned with artworks and surrounded by meticulously maintained gardens, which only served to enhance their cultural symbolism. Indeed, it would not be unfair to say that Dubrovnik’s cultural and scientific life flourished in these villas outside the walls rather than within the city itself.
Let only, quarrels, vanity and worries be far from here. Caves, gardens and cliffs are guarded by tranquillity and peace.
Translated from Latin, inscription in a Dubrovnik garden
As noted by leading expert on villa architecture Nada Grujić, “Thanks to these villas, a particular form of socializing occurs, in mutual conversations and debates.” This notion underscores how the villa lifestyle shaped Dubrovnik’s Renaissance culture. Imagine the philosophical conversations that must have taken place in these idyllic settings, allowing minds to ponder profound questions. It’s easy to envision that Renaissance noble Nikola Gučetić wrote his dialogues On Beauty and On Love (1581) at his villa in Trsteno, where these very discussions likely took place.
Despite the many violent ruptures in Dubrovnik’s history—such as the catastrophic earthquake of 1667 and the destruction wrought by the Franco-Russian War of 1807—it’s somewhat astonishing that so many of the city’s Renaissance villas have survived. However, few of the original villa-owning families remain. Many aristocratic houses fell on hard times in the 19th century, forcing families to sell their historic properties—often to returning economic migrants who had made their fortunes in South America. The post-1945 era brought another watershed moment, as many of the grand houses were nationalized and redistributed among public institutions.
Today, Dubrovnik’s Renaissance villas still play a significant role in the landscape, although they often remain obscured behind high walls and palm trees or have been edged into anonymity by neighboring modern structures. Several villas line the waterfront of Gruž harbor, with yet more to be found along the shores of the Rijeka Dubrovačka, the sea inlet spanned by the Franjo Tuđman suspension bridge just to the west of Gruž.
At present, none of these villas are open to the public on a walk-in basis, though guided tours can be arranged through local tourist agencies. One villa that frequently appears on such tours is the Sorkočević villa on the southern side of Gruž harbor, now belonging to the Dubrovnik Historical Institute. Surrounded by a high crenellated wall, the villa resembles a castle from a time when Dubrovnik’s borders were expanding and sea-borne invaders were no longer a primary concern. Built in 1521 by Petar Sorkočević—who served as rector of the city four times—this villa is rich in history, with a small museum collection relating to Dubrovnik’s past, as well as a charming old library. Inside the villa’s chapel stands a 15th-century statue of St. Blaise, Dubrovnik’s patron saint, carved by the prolific Dalmatian stonemason Juraj Dalmatinac, architect of the UNESCO-listed Šibenik Cathedral.
Another villa that regularly opens its doors to organized tours is the Bunić-Kaboga Villa, located at the southeastern end of the Rijeka Dubrovačka. Recently restored to its Gothic-Renaissance glory by descendants of the original family, this colonnaded mansion is often used as a venue for conferences and social events. The Villa Stay, adjacent to the Bunić-Kaboga house, has housed the Dubrovnik Restoration Institute since 1998 and also welcomes visitors on pre-arranged tours.
One spot that anyone can visit is the Sorkočević villa, which now serves as the administrative building of the ACI Marina at the northern end of Rijeka Dubrovačka. While the interior isn’t open to the public, the exterior is undeniably beautiful, with bobbing boats in the marina overlooked by stony hills. The villa’s garden, featuring a geometric box-hedge layout, is a popular venue for wedding photographs, and if you happen to visit on a Saturday, you're likely to see a bride and groom posing beneath the pergola.
As you continue around the curve of the Rijeka Dubrovačka inlet, you will come to Mokošica, where modern tower blocks dwarf a handful of ruined villas, including the Gucetić Villa, renowned for its arcaded Gothic-Renaissance façade. Though restoration work is still in its early stages, the villa has been earmarked as the future site of the Mokošica Cultural Centre—a welcome sign that Dubrovnik’s once-great villa culture has not yet breathed its last.
Though much has been lost, the spirit of otium, the concept of villeggiatura, and the essential lifestyle that flourished in Dubrovnik’s villas endures in the memories and cultural heritage of this remarkable city. These villas remain testament to a time when beauty, knowledge, and harmony were woven into the very fabric of life, echoing the timeless allure of Dubrovnik’s landscape.
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