Villa Tripalo • Sinj • Dalmatian hinterland • Croatia

Villa location and sleeping capacitySinj, Dalmatian hinterland

Category: *****

Renovated: 2012

Total number of beds: 6+2+2

Number of fixed beds: 6+2

Pull-out sofa in the guest house

Villa facilities

3 bedrooms

Salon (dining room/sitting room)

Kitchen

3 en suite bathrooms

Study with library

Gym (exercise bicycle, treadmill, Orbitrek)

Sauna with shower

Massage room

Billiard room

Wine cellar

Laundry area

2 separate WCs

Garden and orchard (walnut, almond, cherry, plum and sour cherry trees)

Indoor-outdoor private pool (heated in winter)

Balcony (access via one bedroom)

Glazed verandah

Guest house (bedroom, kitchen/dining-room/sitting-room, bathroom)

Decorative arbour

Advantages of the location – distances

Town centre 50 m Clinic 450 m

Sea 37 km Bureau de change 150 m

Beach 37 km Petrol station 500 m

Grocery shop 50 m Bus stop 350 m

Pharmacy 150 m Ferry port 40 km

Description

Villa Tripalo is a Secessionist building dating back to the 1920s, situated in a quiet corner less than 100 metres from the main square (Pijaca) in Sinj, occupying a site covering more than 4,000 m. Restoration work on the villa began in 2007, following conservation and restoration research, with the primary aim of reproducing the original appearance of the villa as far as possible, both externally and internally, during the renovation work. With the help of builders and restorers licensed by the Ministry of Culture, the villa has been restored and transformed into a building worthy of visitors to Dalmatia of refined taste. The villa is a memorial to the Croatian politician Ante Miko Tripalo, the leader of the “Croatian Spring” movement, whose bust stands at the entrance.

Villa Tripalo is a protected cultural monument (ruling no. 17/3-1997, dated 8 August 1997, issued by the Conservation Institute for Dalmatia in Split and entered in the Registry of Immoveable Cultural Monuments of the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Split, reg. no. 1430). It has the status of a cultural good.

The spacious park is walled, and the entrance to the house is on the north side, through a gateway fitted with original, wrought iron gates. The roof has been restored to its original condition and the facade renewed according to the original, in terms of both the colour and quality of the plaster used, and the decorations. The east porch has a typical double-winged staircase and two balconies with decorative concrete balustrades. These balustrades and the glazed veranda on the south-west side of the building give the villa its country house character. The interior has been decorated throughout with geometric patterns and motifs from the plant world, which were rediscovered during restoration work, and implemented in order to reconstruct the original appearance of the rooms as far as possible. Villa Tripalo is characterised by period woodwork, particularly the external and internal door-frames, with brass features, decorative carvings and panels in the Secessionist style. The wrought iron features of the house are also all original, including the outer gates and basement window grilles. The villa has been furnished with period pieces and top quality Baroque and Empire style furniture, finished with carefully chosen textiles. The final touch is given by the carefully selected period tableware and light fixtures. Works of art by eminent Croatian painters and sculptors add a special value to the house.

Villa Tripalo is a two-storey building consisting of a basement and raised ground floor. Each floor covers 175 m. The original aspect of the house meant it was built around a central corridor running from east to west, linking the porch on the east side with the glazed veranda on the west side. There are three well-appointed rooms to the north and south of the corridor. Today, each has its own dressing-room and bathroom. The living area occupies the most favourable, southwest section of the house. Distinguished visitors to this Secessionist villa can enjoy the additional benefits of modern times, such as air-conditioning in all rooms, satellite TV in the salon and bedrooms, a home cinema, coffee machines and other equipment and technical specifications. The kitchen and study are fully equipped. The sauna, gym, massage room and billiard room are located in the basement, along with the all-important wine cellar, which occupies what used to be a secret room in the cellar. There is a restored decorative arbour in the north section, once used to house small animals, while the original single-storey outbuilding, formerly used to store garden tools, has been transformed into a comfortable guest house and swimming pool, with all modern conveniences.