It was a fire that destroyed everything, memories, hopes and much approval.
As we reach the abandoned villa we want to visit, the usual surreal scenario appears on the horizon: cracked walls, torn doors and windows, peeling ceilings and the graffiti of the usual faceless vandals; if not that the attention rests on a fresco, still intact, near the end of the staircase leading to the upper floor. A wonderful painting of a majestic lion and, next to it, the symbol of the Sicilian Trinacria.
Bizarre association considered the over two thousand kilometers away that separate Sicily from Belgium, the country that houses this abandoned and burnt building, dating back to the beginning of the last century.
One of the most beautiful houses in the administrative district of the city of Liège, the splendor of this manor house was scarred in 2016 by a violent fire caused by a short circuit in the electrical system. The responsibility goes back to an abusive marijuana plantation which, after having completely devastated it, caused its total abandonment.
There is not much information available on the history of this abandoned villa. Once there, the police counted 500 cannabis plants which, around 3 am on July 8 of that year, dressed in fire and made the building go up in smoke.
And without changing the scenery, the result does not change: today, of this beautiful abandoned villa, the pride of one of the most chic districts of Liège, only the memory and photographs remain that make this place a surreal postcard.
…for other abandoned villa click here
Text by: Giuliana Imburgia

Liotrum is a project born from the passion for photography and exploration. They are three Sicilians, lifelong friends with the same interest: to rediscover time through forgotten, abandoned, destroyed places, in one word, urban exploration. Last but not least Cristiano La Mantia is our instagram leader.