The Villa Imperiale di Terralba was built between the end of the 15th Century and 16th Century for Lorenzo Cattaneo. It was restructured around 1560 and was the model for all Genoese villas before the alessian style became popular. It has undergone restoration due to the collapse of part of the upper-floor frescoes and is home to an important Genoese library collection, depicting the ’Rape of the Sabine women’ by L. Cambiaso. The park surrounding it is a public area, with a 16th Century design which is still visible in the symmetrical stairways to the front of the villa.
