Sassari, Villa Mimosa Garden

Villa Mimosa garden. Photo by Angela Nieddu, 2025, from Catalogo BBCC

Villa Mimosa or Villa Sant'Elia was built between 1911 and 1913 as an aristocratic suburban residence, isolated and dominant on a small hill, surrounded by a private garden. The garden develops around the villa, slightly off-center from the lot. It is configured as a private green space, organized according to a simple and orderly layout, with lawns, paths, ornamental trees and decorative elements that strongly characterize its structure. The entire garden can be identified as a single ornamental macro-area, characterized by an irregular flowerbed design, divided into three main green spaces, which differ in terms of degree of openness, layout of the vegetation and mode of use. It has direct access from Via 4 Novembre, from here a monumental staircase develops for pedestrian access, flanked in the initial part by stone pillars surmounted by eagle-shaped sculptures, which leads to the upper level of the garden; at the top, the staircase is delimited by two pillars surmounted by ornamental vases. On the upper level, a pedestrian and driveway surrounds the villa, separating it from the structure of the flower beds. The garden, cut out from the route, has a flat course. On the right side there is the first space characterized by the presence of three ornamental flower beds that articulate the meadow space, inside which are inserted two vegetable tunnels and groups of shrub and tree species. On the left side there is the second most intimate and reserved space, delimited by hedges and a fence, with the function of separation and screening. A third green space is slightly detached from the main body of the garden and is configured as an autonomous area full of vegetation, with a vegetable gazebo at the center, a decorative and resting element. The space is fenced off by a stone wall, at the entrance there are two sculptures in the shape of a lion. Inside the garden there are also ornamental sculptures arranged in a precise manner, including a single statue and a sculptural group, which contribute to the figurative and symbolic characterization of the space.

Aspects of interest
The overall perception is that of a space of representation, in which large empty meadows alternate with full vegetation consisting of ornamental flower beds, hedges and groups of trees. The main access axis emphasizes the visual relationship with the facade of the villa and a succession of open, more intimate spaces that give perceptual variety to the garden, maintaining overall a unitary character. The central part, more open, is functional to highlight the building, while along the south-western and eastern perimeter there are the tallest tree species, acting as a vegetable garden and defining the margins of space.