Have you heard of the night that birthed a monster? That night unfolded right here at Villa Diodati. This mansion stands in Cologny near Lake Geneva. Villa Diodati is more than just a beautiful building. It is a crucible of imagination.
The villa got its name from the Diodati family. They had a connection to Giovanni Diodati. He was a translator and uncle to Charles Diodati. Charles was a close friend of John Milton. Despite a plaque claiming Milton visited in 1638, the villa wasn’t built until 1710. Milton had already passed away.
The story of Villa Diodati truly begins in the summer of 1816. Lord Byron rented the villa that year. He was escaping scandal and debt in England. With him was his personal physician John Polidori. Nearby, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his future wife Mary Godwin resided in Maison Chapuis. Claire Clairmont, Mary’s stepsister, also joined them. Byron had an affair with her in London.
The summer weather was terrible. Mary Shelley described “incessant rain”. Trapped indoors for three days in June, the group turned to storytelling. They read fantastical tales. Then, they decided to create their own. Mary Shelley, only 18 at the time, began writing Frankenstein. Polidori, inspired by Byron’s fragment, penned The Vampyre. This became the first modern vampire story. Byron also wrote the third canto of Childe Harold here.
Villa Diodati soon became a pilgrimage site after Byron’s death. Fans of Byron and Romanticism flocked here. Honoré de Balzac even mentioned it in his novel Albert Savarus. He noted that Villa Diodati was visited by everyone.
The villa remains privately owned. The French artist Balthus lived here briefly in 1945. In 1963, the columnist Taki visited with Philippe Washer. Washer’s family owned the villa then. Today, the villa has been divided into luxury apartments.
Though altered, Villa Diodati still whispers tales of that stormy summer. It reminds us of the creative sparks that flew within its walls. The next time you think of Frankenstein or vampires, remember this place. Remember the power of a dark night and a vivid imagination at Villa Diodati.