‘It’s almost like being transported into Italy and just kind of getting to walk around.’

Sofia Calicdan works the front desk and is the media intern at the Villa Terrace. She is a film and digital media student at Marquette, and it’s her first experience with Doors Open Milwaukee.

Ella Ragan: Are you having a good experience so far?

Sofia Calicdan: I am. It is really fun. Villa Terrace always has really fun events happening. When I found out about Open Doors, and thought it just brought in a whole new kind of experience to it. It was really fun.

Ella Ragan: How’s the turnout been?

Sofia Calicdan: Today has been super busy. I came in at 11, and it was already packed, which was so beautiful to see. And the people just kept coming. At 3 when we close, people still wanted to come in, which is so beautiful. I love when people are super excited to see the whole history of the house, the gardens especially. That’s how I felt when I first came here, so I just love seeing it in other people.

Ella Ragan: Do you have a favorite fun fact about the Villa?

Sofia Calicdan: So the two houses next door, they’re now residences. When the Smits were growing up, they used to be friends with the Pabst family, like the brewery, and they would babysit their kids. The Pabst family, since they were very wealthy, built those two houses for their children as playhouses, which is kind of crazy. I was told that the furthest left one is the son’s and the closest one to the villa was the daughter’s. The daughter didn’t like her house very much so she’d always come here. That was the craziest fact that I found out.

Ella Ragan: Would you recommend people to come here and why would you recommend people to come and see the villa?

Sofia Calicdan: Oh, I would definitely recommend people to come here and just because there’s so much history, especially as a history buff, I love it. It’s really cool to see because they try to kind of encapsulate the time. Like going to the courtyard, it’s very, you can tell it’s very Italian inspired. It’s almost like being transported into Italy and just kind of getting to walk around. And then obviously the Terrace and the gardens are just breathtaking. So it’s always fun to end your day or the experience out there. Overall just a really breathtaking thing.