Princess Marie Alexandrine Bonaparte, Napoleon's niece, purchased the land that Villa Valentini sits on in 1853.



Following this, she entrusted the famous architect Giovanni Caproni with the task of designing the centuries-old estate.



Marie's good friend, Louise Colet, a well-known French poet and writer, spent a great deal of time at Villa Valentini Bonaparte, entranced by the story of Saint Margaret, to whom the chapel inside the Villa was dedicated.