The Italian Villa style was inspired by villas of Tuscany, Umbria and Lombardy.

The most striking feature of the Italian Villa is the tall tower which is located either at the middle of the façade or at one end.

The Italian Villa shares many characteristic with the contemporaneous Italianate style. The Italian Villa style is typically asymmetrical while the Italianate style emphasizes symmetry. Italian Villa have towers and are free-standing. Italianate buildings lack towers, and while they are often free-standing, the style was popular for urban row houses in cities such as San Francisco and New York.

Distinctive features of the Italian villa:

• asymmetrical massing
• tall tower
• low pitched roof which resembles the pediment of a classical temple
• projecting eaves with large brackets
• grouped windows with rounded or straight tops
• smooth stucco finish with exuberant ornamentation
• arched loggia
• rectangular bay
• pedimented window heads
• belt course
• balcony