Thessaloniki Villa Allatini

Location: Kalamaria

Villa Allatini used to be the grandest villa in the Exoches neighborhood. It was built in 1898, designed by Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli, and served as the country house of the Italian Jew Charles Allatini. It features 31 rooms and a large verdant garden, while its location allows for sea views.

According to Zorzeta Poselli, the architect’s granddaughter who has written and published a book concerning her beloved relative’s life and work, the workers came across a tomb with a skeleton and some golden objects inside while digging the land. They informed the architect and offered the gold items to him, but he refused to take them. After Allatini was told about the event, he went on a long journey abroad and sold these finds. Poselli, who wanted to leave the deceased to rest, changed the plans and moved the stairs a bit further.

Robillan Pasha is mentioned as the villa's tenant until 1907. In 1909, Guido Allatini sold the house to two men, even though Robillan Pasha still rented it. Some days later, though, Sultan Abdul Hamid II came back after the (successful) revolution organized against him. Around 2 months after his arrival, the 3rd Military Corps bought the residence to become the Sultan’s home. From then until the liberation of Thessaloniki in 1912, the building accommodated Abdul Hamid II, as well as his officers, servants, and harem. After 1912, the residence belonged to the Greek Army and was used to house a military unit.

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki was inaugurated in 1925, and the Faculty of Philosophy, its first school, established in 1926, was temporarily housed in the villa for about a year. In addition, the house was damaged during the German Occupation but was repaired in 1948.

In 1979, Villa Allatini was declared a listed building and, since that year, it has housed administrative offices of the Central Macedonia Region.