The course assignment was to design a “villa with a barchessa” as part of a small ensemble of three villas, all sharing the same formal language. The three buildings sit on sloping ground and look out toward the sea.

The design process started with a study of modern villas by well-known architects, using them as references to define proportions, spatial sequences, and the relationship with the landscape. The main house, called Villa Thema, is located closer to the coastline and is shaped by the site’s natural topography, with subtle changes in internal levels that follow the slope.

Facing south, Villa Thema was designed for a filmmaker and imagined as a kind of visual telescope, framing and directing views toward the sea.