| Villa Bonici | |
| Coordinates: | 35.9096°N 14.4995°W |
| Status: | Intact |
| Building Type: | Villa |
| Architectural Style: | Baroque[1] |
| Location: | Sliema, Malta |
| Current Tenants: | Alfred Gera de Petri[2] |
| Namesake: | Bonici family |
| Completion Date: | 1872 |
| Material: | Limestone |
Villa Bonici is a baroque 19th century villa in Sliema, Malta. It was built by Marquis Emanuel Testaferrata Bonici Ghaxaq (Asciak) as a country residence.[3]
Villa Bonici is a large building that was built in the 19th century, some time before 1872, as a countryside house by aristocrat Marquis Baron Emanuele Testaferrata Bonici Ghaxaq (Asciak).[3] [4] The villa has passed to his next generations of his family: first to Lino Testaferrata Bonici, then to Agnes Gera de Petri, and then to Alfred Gera de Petri.[2] Apart from the building of the villa the property has a separate farmhouse and the terraced gardens for what it is well known, making it unique in the overdeveloped areas of Gzira[5] and Sliema.[6] Originally the gardens were surrounded by a wall made of several arches. The garden used to extend to the seaside, but this side was developed with modern buildings.[7]
The villa had previously served as one of the few open air cinema theatres in Malta.[1] [8] It also served as a school until 1969[9] and became an educational institute again as part of the St. Louis School.[8] Today Villa Bonici is in a dilapidated state.[8] It is surrounded by modern building development and had become an issue of development itself by its owners as being a high potential economic asset.[3] [10]
The historic parts of Villa Bonici were scheduled as a Grade 2 by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) in 2010.[3]
The villa has one baroque archway designed for its large gardens. Other arches at the waterfront were demolished to build up the open air cinema. The cinema was converted into a commercial outlet. This building was eventually demolished to make way for a block of apartments. Most of the gardens are still intact but are subject to development.[11]