Villa Grock — Attraction in Imperia

🤡 Villa Grock was the Villa of one of the greatest clowns in the world, the Swiss Adrien Charles Wettach, aka "Grock." He was not just a clown. He was a juggler, contortionist, tightrope walker, and acrobat. He was also a multifaceted artist, an inventor (he made a steering wheel lock, an anti-theft device for his Isotta Fraschini car, a machine for shuffling playing cards, a cigarette case with an automatic dispenser, and a lifeboat for submarines), and a prolific musician (he played 14 musical instruments hand-wrote over 2,000 scores).

🥇To give you an idea of his fame, in 1919, he received the "Oscar" for Best Clown at the Olympia Theater in Paris. Among his friends and colleagues were famous artists such as Chaplin, and Laurel, the painters Pablo Picasso and Dalì, and influential personalities such as Winston Churchill and Charles V.

❤️Grock, who performed on stages worldwide, lived in Imperia because he had found love here. His wife was, in fact, the Italian singer Ines Ospiri. Native from Trappa, in Val Tanaro, Ines' family lived nearby Oneglia. During the first visit to his in-laws, the great clown fell intensely in love with the mild and pleasing climate of the city, so much so that he wanted to build his house here.

🏡Construction work began in the 1920s, under the direction of Brignole, and was completed in 1927. Its "stone circus" will represent a sublime example of the use of reinforced concrete. We have visited the house and the park, and they are lovely. Let's start with the dimensions. The colossal house has about 6,000 square meters of home, 1,500 square meters is just the party room, and 7,000 square meters is the extension of the park.

⛲️The park is gorgeous, and the element of water is celebrated. In fact, Grock loved the water. For him, it is the element that never dies. And he also loved the "playfulness" inherent in this element of nature. In fact, in many corners, there are drawings of spirals that refer to it.The spirals or curls are found in all the maintenance hole covers, on the facade of the Villa, and in hidden corners. In fact, they represent the waves and the very concept of movement. The water is also exalted in the great Orange Fountain, located under magnificent trees of the genus Cedrus.

💡The garden (which is also the part we liked the most) has yet to be left to chance by Grock. The red and yellow spheres of the garden lights recall the juggling balls artists use. At nightfall, their reflection in the tub (it was initially a fishpond) will give you just this effect.

👉We are sure that just visiting the park will surely pay off. Regarding the museum of clowning inside the house, it is under construction, so we cannot express ourselves fully. It seemed bare and neglected to us. Moreover, many rooms need to be emptied. However, the view of the sea and the city from the spacious terrace (located on the top floor) or through the stained glass windows are priceless in terms of beauty. Therefore, if you have a few hours and want to live in a magical place...Villa Grock is the place...

Villa Grock, het museum van de clown, stond hoog op mijn lijstje om te bezoeken. Als liefhebber van bijzondere architectuur, geschiedenis en kunst, en iemand die graag buiten de gebaande toeristische paden treedt, leek deze villa de perfecte bestemming. Zonder al te veel voorkennis wilde ik mijn eigen indrukken opdoen, zonder beïnvloed te worden door de meningen van anderen.

Bij aankomst is het eerste wat opvalt de prachtige tuin en de unieke architectuur van het gebouw. Het is duidelijk dat Villa Grock is opgezet met passie, liefde en vakkennis. Vanwege het regenachtige weer besloten we eerst naar binnen te gaan. De sfeer van het gebouw en de tuin weerspiegelt de visie en het enthousiasme van de ontwerper; dit voel je meteen.

Binnen in de villa valt op dat er op de begane grond enkele fotocollages te zien zijn, een paar originele meubels en wat uitleg over Grock en zijn werk. Op de eerste verdieping zijn er displays die de geschiedenis en de beleving van Grock moeten overbrengen. Helaas bleek veel hiervan beschadigd of matig afgewerkt, wat afbreuk deed aan de rest van de ervaring. Mijn suggestie zou zijn om deze displays te herstellen of te verwijderen en het pand zelf te laten spreken, vooral omdat de originele elementen en foto's van het gebouw zelf al genoeg indruk maken. De manier waarop deze originele stukken worden gepresenteerd is echter slordig; zorgvuldiger bevestigen zou meer recht doen aan de oorsprong en pracht van het pand.

De audiotour was een positieve verrassing en bood interessante informatie, maar jammer genoeg waren de QR-codes buiten verwaarloosd, waardoor een groot deel van de buitenervaring verloren ging. Ook miste ik beelden van Grock’s optredens, iets dat het verhaal van de villa meer tot leven had kunnen brengen. Binnen een minuut online vonden we zelf al enkele video's die een leuke toevoeging zouden zijn aan de tentoonstelling.

Buiten is de villa op het eerste gezicht net zo indrukwekkend als van binnen. De kleuren, de vloeren, en de glas-in-loodramen zijn prachtig en inspirerend. Maar een rondje door de tuin onthult helaas veel verval en vervuiling. Er zijn niet-werkende of knipperende lampen, en vervuilde delen die met een simpele schoonmaakbeurt opgeknapt zouden kunnen worden. Dit is zonde van zo'n mooi stuk cultuur en geschiedenis.

Villa Grock is absoluut een bezoek waard voor iedereen die geïnteresseerd is in kunst, cultuur en architectuur. Het gebouw zelf is een bijzonder stukje erfgoed dat je gezien moet hebben. Bezoek Villa Grock echter niet met de verwachting van een educatief museum, want behalve de audiotour is dit aspect nog onder de maat. Met wat meer aandacht en onderhoud zou deze plek echt tot zijn recht kunnen komen als eerbetoon aan zowel Grock als zijn artistieke...

Villa Grock è un "must see" della città di Imperia. Una maestosa residenza costruita e appartenuta a Adrien Wettach, clown di fama mondiale, un genio di cui spesso si conosce poco o nulla. La villa si affaccia sulle colline imperiesi, in una posizione splendida da cui si gode di una vista sul mare e sulla città. Si ci tuffa immediatamente nella psiche di Adrien passeggiando nel magnifico giardino, in cui nulla è lasciato al caso e possiede un significato intrinseco. Entrando poi nella dimora del clown, notiamo la minuziosa attenzione ad ogni dettaglio architettonico, Grock infatti aveva partecipato attivamente durante tutti i lavori, limando tutti i particolari per farli realizzare come da lui ideato. All'interno purtroppo non troviamo nessun arredo d'epoca, al massimo qualche strumento di scena, in ogni stanza però ci sono opere interattive che coinvolgono gli individui di tutte le età. A mio dispiacere più della metà non funzionanti o in parte spente, ciò motiva le mie 4 stelle che altrimenti sarebbero state 5. Troviamo anche un palcoscenico che si contrappone direttamente all'ingresso, qui è possibile travestirsi e recitare per qualche minuto, perfetto per i bambini e per il mio amico Nicola. Spendendo 2 parole su quest'ultimo, appena entrati all'interno, all'inizio più timidamente poi con sicurezza, Nicola si è deciso ad indossare i vestiti di scena e a spendere qualche minuto in una rappresentazione teatrale. Nicola è un ragazzo semplice, timido e che si impegna molto in quello che fa, ma in quegli attimi sul palco si è mostrato in un modo nuovo, in modo leggero, come se quelle catene dettate dall'ordinarietà di tutti i giorni e dal ritmo costante e ritmato che la società ci impone, per qualche momento lo abbandonassero, lasciando la creatura libera di esprimersi e di brillare di una luce propria. Nicola è riuscito ad abbandonare i pesi che lo affliggevano, il mantello di autocritica che lo avvolgeva. Questa villa nasconde dentro di sé un significato più profondo: nella vita cercate sempre di tirare fuori il vostro io sognatore, spensierato, non fatevi sopraffare dalla quotidianità, siate più Grock e...