Stamboli Villa is one of the most beautiful private mansions not only in Feodosia, but also in the whole Crimea. Along with the Aivazovsky Art Gallery, the Stamboli Villa can be called one of the most interesting museums in the city. It is located on the seashore 1.3 kilometers from the city center. There are beaches nearby, but at this place a railway runs along the coast.
The Stamboli Villa was built in 1909-1915 by the rich Karaite merchant Joseph Stamboli. His father Veniamin Stamboli founded a company for the production and trade of tobacco products at the end of the 19th century. Joseph Stamboli developed a family business and became one of the richest people in Crimea.
This beautiful mansion on the outskirts of Feodosia became a wedding gift to his fiancée Rachel Bobovich. He built it in the neo-Moorish style, which was fashionable at that time in the Crimea. This style was widespread in Bakhchisarai, where Crimean Tatars lived. Also, in some resorts of the Crimea, the same cottages were built, for example, Villa Dream in Simeiz.
The construction of the Stamboli Villa lasted 6 years and cost Joseph Stamboli more than 1 million rubles. It was a huge sum at that time, but he could afford it, and he really wanted to surprise his fiancée. He paid special attention to the interior, which can be called luxurious. The Stamboli Villa was equipped with the latest communal equipment for a comfortable life. Many rooms are decorated with valuable wood species, as well as marble. Tobacco leaf ornaments are visible in many decorative elements.
A beautiful garden has been created around the Stamboli Villa, although nowadays most of it belongs to the sanatorium and is closed to the public. On the second floor of the Stamboli Villa there is a museum of underwater archaeology, which can be visited for a fee.
