Villa Angiolina is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Opatija. Its builder and first owner was a rich trader of wood and wheat, Iginio Scarpa (1794-1866). The villa was built in 1844 or 1845 and was named after the death of Scrapa's wife, who died in 1832. Currently, it houses a tourism museum, presenting exhibitions devoted to the development of local gastronomy, hotel industry, sea tourism and pilgrimage.
Once built, Villa Angiolina has become a fashionable meeting place for the richest and best-born personalities of that time. The owners (Iginio and his son Paolo) gave lavish parties, the area of which was Angolina itself, as well as the surrounding gardens, full of exotic plants.
Paolo Srapa did not inherit his father's talent for business - after the collapse of the company, he sold Angiolina in 1875. In 1882, the palace and garden were purchased by a railway company, which created an exclusive sanatorium here. They hosted in it, among others the successor of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef, Prince Rudolf and his wife, Princess Stefania.
Attractions inside
