Ever wonder about the lives of Marseille’s merchant princes? Today, we’re standing before Villa Badetty. It is a testament to ambition and reinvention. This villa whispers tales of a family’s rise and a city’s ever-changing landscape.
Villa Badetty wasn’t always here in its current form. Originally, there was a bastide. A merchant named Barthélémy Badetty purchased the estate fifty years after Michel Eydoux owned it. Barthélémy Badetty wasn’t just any merchant. He was the descendant of a Greek Catholic named Chio Barthélémy Badetty. Chio arrived in Marseille in 1798. He had a capital of 50,000 to 60,000 French francs. He became a prominent Greek merchant.
In 1802, Chio married Magdeleine Magnan. She was a wealthy woman from Aix-en-Provence. Her dowry included funds for real estate investment. So Barthélémy acquired several properties in Marseille. He wasn’t just a local businessman. He was an international trader and shipowner. His ships like the Leonidas and la Duchesse-d’Angoulême sailed to Genoa, Livorno and Smyrna. They went to French colonies in America too.
Until 1806, Chio received goods like cotton and wool from Smyrna. He shipped silk, hats, and cloth in return. From Livorno, Trieste, and Genoa, he sent silk and leather to Smyrna. In 1810, Barthélémy traveled to Vienna with Jean-Joseph Belhomme. By 1815, Smyrna was his main supplier. He imported wheat from Odessa and Constantinople. He supplied cotton to manufacturers in Lyon and Paris. He expanded his business to the West Indies.
During the Restoration period, Barthélémy monopolized trade with Martinique and Guadeloupe. However, in 1819, an economic crisis led to his bankruptcy. Despite this setback, he was cleared of wrongdoing. He did not resume business before his death in 1842. The Badetty family continued as merchants for over a century. They shifted their focus to oils.
Barthélémy replaced the bastide with a new villa. It had one floor and a mezzanine. The villa featured three bays on the gable and five on each facade. A tall turret stood on the north side of the bastide. It was likely used for hunting.
In the 20th century, the Villa Badetty underwent changes. A second square tower was added on the south side. It included crenellations. In 1929, the PLM railway company acquired the property. They turned it into a retirement home. This gave the street its name, Traverse des Cheminots. The PLM was a major French railway company. It connected Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean. It was nationalized in 1938 and became part of the SNCF.
Today, Villa Badetty is a retirement home. It has a beautiful swimming pool. It’s nicknamed La Gorge Noire or Le Refuge des Cheminots. La Gorge Noire is another name for the Vallon de Vesque. On the hills above the villa, you can find ruins of an old house. It may have once been part of the estate.
So, as you stand here at Villa Badetty remember the Badetty family. They were merchants who shaped Marseille. Their story reminds us that fortunes can rise and fall. But the city’s spirit of enterprise endures.