Antonio Lasciac (Gorizia 1856 – Cairo 1946)

Antonio Lasciac was born in Gorizia, in Borgo San Rocco, in 1856. From childhood, he demonstrated an interest and aptitude for architecture, and after attending the Lower Royal School and the Oberrealschule, he attended the Vienna Polytechnic, where he graduated in Architecture. He emigrated to Egypt in 1882 and enjoyed a distinguished career overseas, so much so that in 1907 he was appointed Chief Architect of the Royal Palaces by the last Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi I, for whom he rebuilt the Palace of Abdine in Cairo.

In 1907, Lasciac purchased from Anna Biber the 18,000 square meters of Rafut Hill overlooking Gorizia, where he built his home in 1909. The villa's distinctive feature is its 28-meter-high tower, shaped like a minaret. Considered Lasciac's last masterpiece, it blends Art Nouveau elements with Moorish influences, creating a unique neo-Islamic syncretism. The villa, which is considered almost a "self-portrait" of the architect, represents perhaps the only example of neo-Mamluk architecture ever built in Europe.