Villa Grock

Villa Grock is a house in Oneglia, a district of Imperia, Italy, built for the Swiss clown Charles Adrien Wettach, known professionally as Grock. Grock had built a small villa on the site in 1922 under the name Villa Bianca, then began the present three-storey house of 47 rooms in 1927, inaugurating it in 1930. Its design mixes Jugendstil and Art Deco with Persian, Baroque and Rococo influences, and its garden carries decorative references to the circus, clowning, astrology and astronomy that reflect Grock's own tastes and his hand in the house's design. Since 2013 the building has operated as the Museo del Clown, displaying Grock's belongings alongside interactive exhibits on the history of clowning and performance.