Villa that inspired Andersen's Little Mermaid for sale in Sestri Levante

A villa in Sestri Levante, Italy, which allegedly inspired Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Little Mermaid," is now on the market. The property is located on the peninsula of Sestri Levante, between Portofino and the Cinque Terre, where the Danish writer stayed in 1883. The love story between the Little Mermaid and the prince is said to have been inspired by a local legend about the forbidden love between the triton Tigullio and the mermaid Segesta, which also explains the origin of the peninsula. The villa, designed by architect Luigi Carlo Daneri between 1938 and 1940, is a rationalist architecture example and has been declared a "National Monument of Modern Architecture" by the Italian Ministry of Culture. Daneri, a student of Marcello Piacentini, was influenced by the Modern Movement and Le Corbusier. The property spans three levels with 1,100 square meters, including 9 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms, surrounded by a 23,000-square-meter park. It features a private pier with a solarium and exclusive sea access. The sale is handled by Lionard Luxury Real Estate S.p.A., with a reserved price. The villa was featured in architectural magazines Casabella (October 1940), Domus (January 1941), and Abitare (1990s).