Malta
Villa Preziosi, later known as Villa Francia, is situated in the northern part of Lija.
Villa Francia is a building of national interest.
Genealogy of the Francia family (courtesy Charles Said Vassallo).
1. William Francis Francia of Gibraltar, with issue.
1.1. Col. John Lewis Francia RMA, MVO, (1864-1934), Director of Giuseppe
Buttigieg & figli, and the Banco di Malta, Built Francia Palazzo in
Valletta, married to Teresina Buttigieg, with issue.
1.1.1. John Francia., dunm.
1.1.1.1. (Adopted) William Nathaniel Fenton Francia, dunm.
1.1.2. Blanche Malvina Francia, married 1926 to Sir
Ugo Mifsud Kt. Bach., dsp.
1.1.3. Lola Francia., dunm.
William Nathaniel Fenton Francia
Villa Francia was dated to the mid-eighteenth century (prior to 1757), when the
Baroque style permeated down from the rulers to the pretentious and wealthy
Maltese families. At that some of these wealthy houses cost so much that their
ambitious owners, including those of Villa Preziosi , ended up bankrupt.
There is sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the villa was not built in its
present complete state at one go, but it developed periodically, probably
originally being used as a hunting lodge. Mahoney dates the villa in its
finished state to the late eighteenth century. However, further accretions to
the building continued to take place up to the mid second half of the twentieth
century.
The possibility that the villa was originally a small hunting lodge is not to be
overlooked. During the beginning of the eighteenth century, the countryside
became more secure and there were lesser threats from the Muslim incursions and
corsair attacks. For this reason, both the knights and the Maltese nobility and
wealthy families were encouraged to venture outside the cities' walls and build
hunting lodges and country houses. The outskirts of Lija were definitely ideal
for hunting as the surrounding areas of the village, abounded with greenery and
large amounts of trees.
The villa comprises a two-storey building with a front and back garden . At the
end of the back garden there is a large nympheum building which houses a water
mill (sienja) and a large reservoir. On the southern side there is a small
garden and a building consisting of some rooms attached to the main two-storey
building.
A coach room and a stable are attached to the southern boundary wall of the back
garden. On the northern side there is a row of rooms overlooking a large stretch
of land comprising approximately two hectares, consisting of terraced
agricultural fields which originally formed part of the same property Within the
fields one finds a circular belvedere overlooking Mosta Road .
Recent studies shows that the building and the surrounding site have passed
through three main phases. Originally, probably during the early eighteenth
century, the building consisted of a hunting lodge During the mid eighteenth
century the site was converted into a villa.
In 1942, Villa Francia served as the residence of Sir Ugo Mifsud who was Prime
Minister of Malta between September 1924 and August 1927 and between June 1932
and November 1933. Sir Ugo Mifsud was married to Mrs. Francia. During the Second
World War Villa Francia was owned by the brother of Sir Ugo Mifsud's wife.