Situated in a picturesque location on a hill between Turin and Moncalieri, Villa Santa Maria was bought by the Marists in 1906 as a second novitiate after the expulsion of the religious from France. From 1922 to 1924 it was also the provisional headquarters of the General Administration of the Society while awaiting transfer to Rome. In the following years, Villa Santa Maria has been a university hostel, a Marist novitiate and community for Italian Marists in training. Today the community consists of retired and active Marists, some of whom are involved in local parishes, chaplaincies and other pastoral activities. It offers hospitality to spirituality groups and individuals. The adjoining building houses a social cooperative (Il Ricino) founded by the Marists and lay people, which accommodates and supports a community of single mothers and their children.
