The villa, which stands majestically on a tufaceous spur of the Posillipo hill, was built at the behest of Prince Marcantonio Doria d'Angri, the last prominent exponent of the noble family of Genoese origin. Inside a vast plot of land, partly steep, partly gently sloping along the ridge, the leisure residence must have had a courtly character, in keeping with the prestigious role that the prince held at court in those years. The Doria property extended along the crest of the hill and reached the Mergellina beach with terraces of vineyards and fruit trees. The estate came to the noble family in 1592 through a donation from Vittoria Carafa, was transformed from a farm into a neoclassical princely residence by the architect Bartolomeo Grasso and completed in 1833. It also represents a tangible sign of the rank that the Doria family and their seafaring traditions. After the death of Prince Marcantonio in 1837 it was rented out and, subsequently, in 1857, sold to the English noble Ellinor Giovanna Susanna Maitland. The building has been part of the real estate assets of the University of Naples Parthenope since 1998. The villa was inserted in a vast agricultural estate and, at the same time, obeyed the idea of ​​a panoramic villa, a real alternative to the city home. The large 18.000 m^2 park surrounds the structure and is equipped with paths and ramps that go up the hill. The beautiful terrace surrounds the entire structure which features, on each side, a loggia with four Ionic columns and the side terraces which were designed as hanging gardens with water features and fountains. The octagonal Chinese pagoda, placed on a circular bastion that emerges from a tufaceous rock, was built by Antonio Francesconi with the visible intent of attracting attention, using a language in striking contrast with the architecture of the Villa above. Since 1998 the villa has been part of the heritage of the University of Naples Parthenope and is intended for higher education, national and international scientific conferences, and cultural meetings. Furthermore, it is home to the precious collection of static models of ships and parts of merchant and military vessels, nautical instruments and equipment preserved within the Naval Museum.